Why Scarlett Johansson’s discomfort during directorial debut was a good thing

Scarlett Johansson thinks it was a “good” thing that she wasn’t “immediately comfortable” when she walked on set to direct “Eleanor the Great.”

“If I were immediately comfortable, then it would probably not be the right thing,” she told Page Six at a Cinema Society screening of “Eleanor the Great” on Wednesday night.

However, her nerves dissipated after a couple of weeks. “Once the crew familiarizes themselves with one another and you understand more what’s required of you on any shooting day, then it gets easier,” she said.

“I wouldn’t say easier, but it gets more comfortable.”

Johansson’s first time behind the camera comes after spending decades in front of it.

She made her film debut as a child star in 1994’s “North” and seamlessly transitioned to adult roles, balancing blockbusters like “Black Widow” with critically acclaimed independent films like “Marriage Story.”

Earlier this year, she starred in the latest “Jurassic World” sequel, appearing alongside Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali.

“Eleanor the Great,” which will be released on Friday, stars June Squibb, 95, who, after losing her best friend, moves to New York City for a fresh start and strikes up a friendship with a young journalism student.

Johansson said that the movie starts “as a dry comedy,” followed by “tragic loss, but then the film takes such an unexpected turn and the stakes are so high.”

The Oscar nominee added that she was immediately “invested in the outcome of the story” when she first read the script and admitted that “just doesn’t happen” that often when perusing screenplays.

One attraction to helming the movie was working with Squibb.

“Honestly, I was just so curious about what June Squibb wanted to star in at this stage in her career,” she divulged, before noting that getting to direct is “an amazing opportunity that I don’t take for granted.”

Other celebs at the screening included Johansson’s husband, Colin Jost, Julianna Margulies, Michael Stipe, Susie Essman, recent Emmy winner Jeff Hiller, producers Trudie Styler and Celine Rattray, and Sony Pictures Classics chieftains Michael Barker and Tom Bernard.

After watching the flick, guests headed to the iconic Katz’s Deli on the Lower East Side, where they chowed down on pastrami sandwiches and pickles.