Julia Roberts Strips Away Her Signature Warmth in Luca Guadagnino’s Provocative “After the Hunt”
In a bold departure from her beloved America’s Sweetheart persona, Julia Roberts emerges as a glacial force of nature in Luca Guadagnino’s psychologically charged drama “After the Hunt,” making its North American debut at the prestigious New York Film Festival. The film, which initially captivated audiences at Venice International Film Festival, presents Roberts in perhaps her most challenging role to date—a performance that deliberately dismantles everything we’ve come to expect from the Oscar-winning actress.
Set against the ivory tower backdrop of Yale University, the narrative unfolds with the sophistication of a literary salon gone wrong. Picture this: tweedy academics draped across plush velvet sofas, their conversations flowing as freely as the premium whiskey, dissertations discussed with the same passion typically reserved for runway collections. Yet beneath this veneer of intellectual elegance lurks something far more sinister.
Roberts transforms into Professor Alma—a character so deliberately unsympathetic that the actress herself admits to struggling with the role’s emotional demands. “The hardest part for me was not being sympathetic and empathetic,” Roberts confessed to Variety, her vulnerability as palpable as cashmere. “For me as a person, it’s like, ‘Oh, how can I hold her?’ And she was not to be held.” This artistic choice represents nothing short of a metamorphosis for the 57-year-old icon, stripping away decades of nurturing screen presence to reveal something altogether more complex.
The film tackles the labyrinthine complexities of campus sexual assault allegations, with Roberts’ Arctic professor navigating accusations against her colleague Hank, portrayed by the ever-compelling Andrew Garfield. Ayo Edebiri, the 29-year-old rising star, plays Maggie—the student whose allegations set the entire academic ecosystem into motion. It’s a “he said, she said” narrative that feels both urgently contemporary and slightly behind the cultural curve.
Guadagnino, the visionary behind “Call Me By Your Name,” crafts a world where generational tensions simmer like espresso on a Milanese morning. The script deliberately provokes, with Roberts’ character dismissing Gen Z “triggers” with the kind of intellectual superiority that would make Anna Wintour proud. These are hot-button issues served at room temperature—relevant yet somehow lacking the immediate fire of our current moment.
The Venice premiere proved as controversial as the film itself, with Roberts fielding pointed questions about whether the narrative “undermines feminist principles” in our post-#MeToo landscape. Her response? Pure Roberts diplomacy wrapped in steel: “I made a meal of it,” she admitted, acknowledging the complex reception while standing firmly behind the artistic vision.
“Everybody’s going to have their own opinion,” Roberts noted with characteristic grace. “That’s what’s so great about it.” The film challenges audiences to sit with discomfort, to question their assumptions, and to leave the theater carrying a constellation of conflicting emotions—much like the aftermath of a particularly provocative Fashion Week show that lingers in the mind long after the models have left the runway.
Joined by the ethereal Chloë Sevigny in the supporting cast, “After the Hunt” promises to be the kind of intellectually demanding cinema that transforms casual moviegoers into passionate debaters. Mark your calendars: October 10th becomes the date when Roberts’ most daring performance meets the world.
