Trouble is the best material for a film

Late August, at the Palazzo del Cinema on Venice’s Lido: the world premiere of “After The Hunt” Julia Roberts’ new film. Thousands of fans crowd under the sun along the red carpet, waiting for one of the most famous women on the planet. Many of them were born long after Roberts — the Pretty Woman who gave us the unforgettable “Big mistake” – first captured our hearts.

This premiere is definitely a historic moment – this is the first time the Queen of Hollywood has attended the Venice Festival, which has only increased excitement and demand. The fact that the film directed the most successful Italian in Hollywood now, Luca Guadenino (“Call Me By Your Name”, “Challengers”) added another layer to the premiere, and charged it with pride and local patriotism.

The tickets for festival’s most talked about event were snatched days earlier. A ticket was the most desirable object and people begged in an attempt to get in. When Roberts got on the carpet, dressed in a handmade dress it took 300 hours to create – by Italian fashion designer Dario Vitala, who recently became the chief creative director of Versace in place of Donatella Versace – the roars echoed throughout the Lido.

ג’וליה רוברטס

(צילום: Amy Sussman / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)

Roberts was kind to the selfie and signature hounds. Within the festival’s palace, along the red carpet, hundreds of people were standing. When she entered the packed hall, most stood up. A row behind her sat her husband, photographer Danny Moder, father of her three children. The two, who met while making the film “The Mexican”, are celebrating 25 years of marriage these days.

Throughout her visit to Venice, Roberts didn’t stop showing off a vocal, seemingly “cool” and playful attitude — relaxed and carefree, perhaps in an attempt to prove she’s not a diva. It was evident at the premiere, at the major press conference, and again when we met the following day at the Cipriani Hotel.

This elegant luxury hotel is located on the island of Giudecca, with room rates ranging from €1,000 to €10,000 per night, and it can only be reached by boat. The hotel opened in 1958, founded by Giuseppe Cipriani — the owner of the legendary Harry’s Bar near St. Mark’s Square — who also invented the Bellini cocktail, now synonymous with Venice. One of my international colleagues remarked, quite fittingly, that the hotel looks like a perfect setting for a future season of “The White Lotus”.

The staff at the Cipriani may have seen it all — over the years, the hotel has hosted, served, and entertained the biggest stars, from George Clooney (who even chose to get married there) and Matt Damon to Nicole Kidman and Angelina Jolie. Yet despite that long, glittering history, it was clear the employees were alert and excited about the visit of Hollywood’s first lady.

Kind to the selfie-hounds. Julia Roberts

(photo: Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images)

It’s been 35 years since “Pretty Woman”, and Roberts is still a very beautiful woman. At 57, she looks stunning in a flattering white sporty tracksuit with colorful stripes running down the sides. Before the interview, she jokes around with Guadagnino, their conversation filled with warmth and playful gestures. The chemistry between them is hard to miss.

Guadagnino, an openly gay director, is known both for his creative collaborations and for the close friendships he has formed with actresses like Tilda Swinton — who has appeared in several of his films — and Dakota Johnson. Now, it seems, he’s found a new kindred spirit.

And she had a surprise for him: when Roberts first landed in Venice, paparazzi photographers caught her on a boat wearing a sweater covered with dozens of Luca Guadagnino’s faces. “I made that sweater happen”, Roberts boasts during our conversation. “I might have a few more surprises as his press tour goes on. Luca was so excited to come to Venice with ‘After The hunt’, so this was my way of arriving here – literally – with Luca on my sleeves. I sent him the picture, and he burst out laughing”.

During the current awards season, the pair have been seen together frequently, and in our meeting, she couldn’t stop showering praise on her new, close companion. “Here’s what I have to say about Luca: I’m in love with him, and it shows in everything I say about him. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone like Luca, whose mind holds so much knowledge about so many things. I could honestly listen to him talk all day. What he says is fascinating and comes from a deep place of appreciation for everything: textures, people, layers, the meaning of colors, and what they can represent. Luca is a source of knowledge you can truly learn from”.

Much Admiration. Roberts and Guadagnino

(photo: Reuters)

Roberts feels that they are “kindred spirits”, and that the chemistry sparked the very moment they met at a party, “and we talked for two hours”. She’s well aware of the competition she faces for the director’s time and heart. “I’m a huge admirer of Tilda Swinton, and of course I love all the films she and Luca have made together. But that’s it – now they’re done working together. Finished. Over. Now I’m here. I’m really here”, she says, laughing.

“Beyond all that, Luca’s ability to revel in his work is the most critical element for me. Yes, it’s a dream profession – making movies – but there are still tough, long days on set. So being alongside someone who gets so excited, genuinely like a child about what we’re doing, refills you with energy, so I can return the next day to set and endure even more abuse”.

In Hollywood, the film — and Roberts in particular — are being promoted aggressively and intensively in the battle for Golden Globes and Oscars. She already has three Golden Globe trophies for “Steel Magnolias”, “Pretty Woman” and “Erin Brockovich”, as well as an Oscar for the latter, but that was a long time ago. Roberts would welcome more awards, which would help her maintain her elevated status — a standing also reinforced by the countless reruns of “Pretty Woman” and “Notting Hill”.

In recent years, Roberts appeared in “Ticket to Paradise” (2022) alongside George Clooney, which premiered on Peacock after receiving disappointing reviews but still grossed a respectable $170 million, and in Netflix’s “Leave the World Behind” (2023). She was also seen in the miniseries “Gaslit” (2022).

With her bestie George. “Ticket To Paradise”

(photo: Courtesy of UNIK Public image)

So now she stars in “After The Hunt”, which hits cinemas in Israel next week. The story is set against the sophisticated and intellectual world of an elite Ivy League university and explores themes of power and the desire to acquire more of it. Roberts plays Alma Olson, a beloved and respected philosophy professor, married to a Jewish psychiatrist (Michael Stuhlbarg). One of her star protégés is Margaret Price – portrayed by actress, comedian, and director Ayo Edebiri (“The Bear”) – a Black young woman adopted by a very wealthy Jewish couple, who are among the university’s donors.

After an evening of socializing and philosophical discussions at Alma and her husband’s home (for which Roberts consulted her own daughter, a philosophy student, to navigate the concepts and terminology), Alma’s personal and professional life is thrown into turmoil. Margaret accuses one of Alma’s colleagues of harassment and sexual assault – a colleague (Andrew Garfield) who is a close friend of Alma’s. In addition, Margaret uncovers a dark, chilling secret from Alma’s distant past and threatens to expose and leverage it.

Beloved and respected – at first. Roberts in “After The Hunt”

(photo: Courtesy of Forum Film)

“Trouble is the best material, and it’s fun to play a complex character”, says Roberts. “This film is a domino of conflicts, and when one piece falls, everything collapses. It’s exactly the kind of role that makes you get out of bed in the morning. What I love about the movie is that you just want to see what’s waiting around the next corner – and it just keeps getting more and more tangled”.

Roberts admits she’s not one of those actors who likes to discuss acting techniques. “Talking about acting now would definitely put me back to sleep, so I’ll spare you and myself that nap”, she says. “Working on ‘After The Hunt’, I experienced an unexplained, unexpected kind of alchemy – I’ve never experienced anything like it in my 117 years in show business”, she jokes, “thanks to such a talented group of people and to being directed by someone like Luca, whom I consider a master of his craft”.

How would you describe portraying Alma?
“Screenwriter Nora Hart created the emotional landscape for us. For me, it was really about figuring out how to measure Alma and find her rhythm – the moments of conflict, the falls, and the recoveries. The way Alma lives her life is very unfamiliar to me, and sometimes playing her was exhausting. The hardest part for me was not being sympathetic or empathetic. I have a chicken-like personality; I want to gather, feed, and care for people. Alma is exactly the opposite. By the way, unlike Michael, who plays my husband and whose script seemed so orderly and precise, my script looked like it had spent the night in a hamster cage”.

Throughout most of your life, people have tried to uncover your secrets, and I thought what’s truly fascinating about Alma’s character is her mystery. As a viewer, I didn’t know her truth. I didn’t know why she doesn’t reveal things openly.
“For an actor, mystery is wonderful and intriguing, especially when portraying a character who tightly holds onto secrets and things that could cause harm. Alma is very fragile, which is why she constantly seeks power and knowledge, and why she’s so intelligent and talented – because deep, deep, deep down, she is actually none of those things. Personally, I have no secrets. I’m an open window”.

They’re not the same. Roberts as Alma, “After The Hunt”

(photo: Courtesy of Forum Film)

But in her interactions with the media, it’s clear that Roberts prefers to maintain her privacy. And although ‘After The Hunt’ raises important #MeToo issues, at the festival’s massive press conference, Roberts deftly sidestepped questions on this sensitive topic. She also became annoyed with a journalist who claimed that the film is anti-feminist and “controversial”, suggesting it “revives old debates” about women claiming sexual assault.
“Not to be unpleasant, but it’s just not in my nature”, Roberts said, laughing, as she responded. “But I’ll say that I don’t think the film is simply reviving a debate between women standing against each other, or not supporting one another”. When asked about the issue again, Roberts denied that the film aims to stir controversy and lamented that “we are currently losing the art of conversation as a humanity”.

Did the journalist’s question yesterday manage to surprise you?
“Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and that’s what’s so wonderful about it. ‘After The Hunt’ is a film that doesn’t make statements – it encourages conversation, and that’s exactly what we need right now”.

After working on this film, has your stance on the #MeToo movement and cancel-culture changed?
“No, working on the film hasn’t influenced my decisions or thoughts. That’s the clever answer. And here’s the real one: Can the world we created in the film, which is imagined, have an impact and create change? Of course – we have to remember that the world affects art and art affects the world; it’s cyclical. What we did in our film, or at least one of our goals, was to show all sides of all the stories, simultaneously.

Everyone has they’re own opinion

(photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

“We didn’t just show the external perspectives; we showed the story from the inside. From my point of view, that was the big, meaningful goal for all of us. Far beyond everything else we accomplished, I’m proud that no one leaves this film without feeling the need to talk to someone about what just happened and what they’re thinking.”

At this point, Roberts recounts a story about a friend of hers: “Unfortunately, she went to see the film alone, without anyone she knew, and had no one to share or discuss it with. My friend had to wait for other people she knew to watch it. She was like, ‘I have to talk to someone about what happened in the film, I can’t keep it to myself!’. And for me, that’s an enormous victory: to inspire people to talk – to spark conversations about difficult topics, cruel words, and some of the aggressions we all carry in the world. I think that’s fascinating, and I’m glad we were able to ignite that dialogue through the film”.

From conversations I conducted with Guadagnino and the other cast members of “After The hunt”, it turns out Roberts is an excellent cook and a stellar hostess. During rehearsals, she hosted them at her home in San Francisco, and one evening even held a pajama party with Guadagnino, Ayo Edebiri and Chloë Sevigny. “Julia is an amazing chef. She makes wonderful salmon, and incredible banana bread”, Guadagnino reported. Roberts shares that she also prepared French toast for her guests. “Love and magic – those are the two things I put into everything I cook”, Roberts reveals. “I just do my best and then keep my fingers crossed”.