May 16, 2026 2:50pm PT

Scarlett Johansson Doesn’t Pick Up FaceTime Call From James Gray During 7-Minute Cannes Standing Ovation for ‘Paper Tiger’

Brent Lang, Ellise Shafer

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Director James Gray tried to call Scarlett Johansson on his cellphone so she could bask in the 7-minute standing ovation for “Paper Tiger” at the film’s Cannes premiere on Saturday night. But the star, who couldn’t be on hand in the South of France because she is busy filming “The Exorcist” reboot, didn’t pick up his FaceTime.

Gray shook his head in mock frustration and gestured at his phone as the call went to Johansson’s voicemail. She may not have made it to the big night, but her co-stars Miles Teller and Adam Driver, who play brothers who run afoul of the Russian mob in the tragic crime thriller, flanked a boisterous Gray. The director served as ringmaster after the credits rolled, gesturing to each of his leading men so they could get their own moment in the spotlight.

Scarlett Johansson Doesn't Pick Up FaceTime Call From James Gray During 7-Minute Cannes Standing Ovation for ‘Paper Tiger’