Julia Roberts Defends 'After The Hunt' After It Stirs 'MeToo' Debate At The Venice Film Festival

After The Hunt hit the rough waters soon after its release. The #MeToo-themed film has raised several questions and sparked a heated debate about the anti-feminist arguments. Now, actress, Julia Roberts has come forward in the defence of her film and stated that humanity was at risk of "losing the art of conversation".

Julia Roberts defends her film, After the Hunt

The Oscar-winning actor, Julia Roberts, made her Venice Film Festival debut with the psychological thriller, After The Hunt, directed by Italian filmmaker, Luca Guadagnino. It premieres out of competition at the Lido on August 29, 2025, and has already stirred some serious debate. The drama is set in the world of higher education and stars Julia as a beloved professor who finds herself at a personal and professional crossroads when a star student (Ayo Edebiri) makes an accusation of assault against her friend and colleague (Andrew Garfield).

The plot of the film has sparked debate online about its exploration of conflict and power dynamics. Julia Roberts addressed these remarks during a press conference and revealed that it's not in her nature to be disagreeable. However, she doesn't feel that After the Hunt is just reviving the argument of women being pitted against each other or not supporting one another. She added:

"There are a lot of old arguments that get rejuvenated in this movie in a way that does create conversation. The best part of your question is that you all came out of the theatre talking about it. That's how we wanted it to feel. You realise what you believe in strongly because we stir it all up for you. So, you're welcome."

After the Hunt director, Luca Guadagnino, also reacts to the film

In the same press conference, Luca added that they are looking at people in their true selves. He shared that everyone has their own truths, and it's not that one truth is more important than another. He further questioned how they perceive the clash of truth and what the boundary between these truths is, from the perspective of filmmakers and artists. He stated that it was not about making a manifesto to revive old-fashioned values.

Julia Roberts revealed what attracted them to After the Hunt

Further in the conversation, Julia revealed what had attracted them to playing 'troubled women'. To this, the actress responded by stating that 'Trouble is where the juicy stuff is'. She added that it's like a domino effect of conflict. She added that once one falls, then suddenly everywhere you turn, there's some new piece of conflict and challenge. She shared that's what made it worthwhile to get up and go to work in the morning.

The actress stated that the film reminded her of Bruce Beresford's 1983 drama, Tender Mercies, which follows a former country music star whose career and relationship with his ex-wife and daughter are wrecked by alcoholism. Julia Roberts was quoted as saying:

"I just thought there was something magical about the idea that a camera just landed in a place and happened to document what was going on where it landed. That's how I feel about this movie. It's not so much that we're making a statement. We're just sharing these lives for this moment, and then we want everyone to go away and talk to each other. That, to me, is the most exciting bit because we're kind of losing the art of conversation in humanity right now."

What are your thoughts on After the Hunt? Let us know.

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