Julia Roberts got emotional as her new movie, “After the Hunt” — Luca Guadagnino’s drama in which she plays a troubled professor — wowed Venice on Friday night.
The Amazon MGM Studios release premiered on the Lido to a six-minute standing ovation. As the clapping continued, Roberts wiped away tears, blew kisses to the crowd and hugged her director and co-stars Ayo Edebiri (who also teared up) and Andrew Garfield.
Guadagnino and Roberts both paused to sign autographs on the red carpet before entering the packed Sala Grande to cheers of “Julia!” and “Luca!” Garfield was also a fan favorite, taking selfies with the crowd while sporting a sharp blue suit and freshly-shaven look.
In “After the Hunt,” Roberts plays Alma Olsson, a revered Ivy League professor who is forced to grapple with her own secretive past after one of her colleagues is accused of crossing a line with her student. Garfield plays Henrik “Hank” Gibson, the colleague of Roberts’ character, and “The Bear” breakout Edebiri is Maggie Price, Alma’s protégée who comes forward with the allegation.
The R-rated film has already caused controversy on the Lido, with a heated press conference earlier on Friday leveling questions about the film’s messaging around the #MeToo movement and cancel culture. Roberts defended her latest work, denying that “After the Hunt” is attempting to stoke controversy and lamenting that society is “losing the art of conversation in humanity right now.”
“We’re not making statements; we are portraying these people in this moment in time,” she said. “I don’t know about controversy, per se, but we are challenging people to have conversation. To be excited or infuriated about it is up to you. If making this movie does anything, getting everybody to talk to each other is the most exciting thing that I think we could accomplish.”
(Excerpt) Read more in: Variety