June Squibb says she 'never planned' her career. Now she's an action hero at 94

June Squibb is on a roll.

At 94, the actor is currently starring in the newly-released thriller "Thelma," voicing Nostalgia in Pixar's "Inside Out 2" and busy at work on a new project with Scarlett Johansson.

"(It's) her first feature directing," Squibb tells TODAY.com in a sit-down interview.

A veteran of the stage, Squibb didn't begin her onscreen acting career until her 60s. She's since been cast in a variety of high-profile roles including Woody Allen's rom-com "Alice," the 2002 Jack Nicholson film "About Schmidt," Adam Sandler's "Hubie Halloween" and 2013's "Nebraska" for which she received a best supporting actress Oscar nod.

"It just sort of happened. I mean, I've never planned my career. It's always just happened as life happens with me. And it's exciting, it's wonderful. I hope I can, you know, keep up with all," she says with a laugh.

In her latest role, Squibb plays Thelma Post, a needlepointing grandma determined to track down the criminals who scam her out of $10,000 as part of a fake kidnapping scheme.

While the ensuing hijinks are pure fiction, Thelma is based on the real-life grandmother of writer-director, Josh Margolin.

Margolin's close relationship with his 103-year-old grandmother is at the heart of the film, and he, himself, is a central character in the movie, played by Fred Hechinger.

"We fell in love with Fred on 'White Lotus,'" Margolin tells TODAY.com.

While it was initially strange seeing himself portrayed by Hechinger, he says it became "normal very quickly."

"I felt a real kindredness with him just watching him and then hanging out with him and becoming friends with him. He's who I thought and hoped he'd be," Margolin explains.

Much like Margolin bonded with Hechinger, Squibb also felt a connection with her real-life counterpart, Thelma, who she didn't meet in person until after filming had wrapped.

"I walked in, and I said, 'I'm Thelma Post.' And she said, 'No, I'm Thelma Post!' And then we both giggled and laughed because we thought we were the funniest things that hit the room," Squibb recalls.

Since then, the pair have stayed in touch.

"(I) spent some time with her and we texted each other. She texted me about coming to New York... and I texted back, 'We're going to miss you.' So, it's been a wonderfully quick relationship we've had, but I think she's the best. I just am in love with her."

Avoiding stereotypes

When it came to making "Thelma," Margolin says it was important to him to avoid common aging stereotypes, like infantilizing older adults or turning them into caricatures.

Instead, "Thelma" strives to show empowerment while acknowledging the very real challenges that accompany aging, as well as those faced by younger and middle-aged adults, too.

"I think the tone was a delicate thing because it can easily skew broad and feel like we're making fun or punching down, or it can kind of feel heavy or sad or maudlin," Margolin says.

"It was very important to us to feel energetic and fun, but also authentic and sincere," he adds.

When it came to filming the action scenes in "Thelma," Margolin says he wanted them to be funny without being condescending.

"Never laughing at, but laughing with," he says.

As for Squibb, the "Nebraska" actor says she enjoyed turning the tables on conventional portrayals of what it means to grow old.

"I loved the thumbing your nose at age. That to me is very important. It is in real life, so it is onscreen as well," she explains. "And just being able to let people see a woman like this, because she's wonderful. The real Thelma is a hell of a lady. She really is. And I just wanted that to be shown. I wanted audiences to see this and to enjoy her."

Maintaining stamina

Being an action hero at 94 takes work.

To keep up her strength, Squibb says she walks and does Pilates at least one hour a week. She also takes the occasional nap.

What she doesn't do, however, is allow her age to slow her down.

"I think a lot of it, just keeping involved with people and work. I think that is a part of why my mind is still going. And I do puzzling, I do sudoku, I do crossword, and I think all of that helps," Squibb says.

As for what she hopes comes next, Squibb says she wouldn't mind appearing in a Western. As a young girl, she spent every Saturday afternoon at the movie theater watching serial Westerns.

"I did that for all my years," she says. "That was my first introduction to any kind of theater."

This article was originally published on TODAY.com