Julia Roberts is pushing back against criticism that her new film After the Hunt “undermines feminist principles” and “the feminist struggle.” The actress addressed the controversy during a Q&A at the Venice International Film Festival on Friday, appearing alongside director Luca Guadagnino and co-stars Andrew Garfield, Ayo Edebiri, Michael Stuhlbarg, Nora Garrett, and Chloë Sevigny.
According to Variety, Roberts was asked to respond to critics who believe the film casts a negative light on the #MeToo era. She didn’t hesitate to defend the project. “I think, not to be disagreeable, because it’s not in my nature,” she began, “I don’t necessarily think it’s reviving just an argument of women being pitted against each other or not supporting each other. There’s a lot of old arguments that get rejuvenated in this movie in a way that creates conversation.”
The movie centers on Roberts as a college professor caught in turmoil when one of her star students, played by Ayo Edebiri, accuses a fellow professor, portrayed by Andrew Garfield, of sexual assault. The subject matter sparked heated reactions among festivalgoers, which Roberts said was part of the point.
“The best part of your question is you talking about how you all came out of the theater talking about it, and that’s how we wanted it to feel,” Roberts told the crowd. She explained that the goal was to push audiences to leave with strong opinions.
“That everybody comes out with all these different feelings and emotions and points of views and things that you realize what you believe in strongly. Because we stir it all up for you. So, you’re welcome,” she added, earning laughs from the audience.
Roberts stressed that the film isn’t designed to deliver clear-cut statements but rather to capture complex human moments. “We’re not making statements. We are portraying these people in this moment in time, and the camera has fallen from the sky in this particular moment and captures all this.”
While Roberts herself has not had direct experiences connected to the #MeToo movement, she has acknowledged the weight of it. In a 2017 interview with Today, she called the flood of stories “all so ugly in so many ways.” She added, “I’ve never had this experience. I mean, I almost feel bad saying that because I don’t know why I was spared. You hear some of these heart-wrenching, awful stories—and I have a daughter—it is heartbreaking. But it’s not been part of my experience.”
Still, she seemed clear that the uncomfortable nature of After the Hunt is what gives it power. “I don’t know about controversy, per se, but we are challenging people to have a conversation, and to be excited or infuriated about it is up to you,” she said.
Roberts also made a broader point about today’s climate. “We’re kind of losing the art of conversation in humanity right now,” she reflected. For her, a film that can reignite dialogue—even heated dialogue—has done its job.