Julia Roberts expressed heartfelt admiration for her co-star Andrew Garfield during an appearance at the New York Film Festival on September 28. Discussing Garfield’s recent comment calling her a “national treasure,” Roberts described him as a deeply thoughtful and introspective person, highlighting their close connection. The mutual regard between Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield reflects the strong bond they have formed while working together.
Insights Into Garfield’s Unique Personality and Playful Teasing
Roberts revealed that Garfield’s remarks often carry a teasing quality meant to unsettle her gently, demonstrating his intimate understanding of her personality. She explained,
“He says things, I think he says them to make me uncomfortable. He knows exactly where my little tender parts are, so he just kind of likes to do that, it was very sweet of him. To speak like that. Yes, very touching.”
This playful dynamic illustrates the warmth and familiarity shared between the two actors beyond the screen.
Exploring Complex Themes in Their Upcoming Film ‘After the Hunt’
The duo stars alongside Ayo Edebiri in the film After the Hunt, which centers on a PhD student, Maggie, who accuses her professor Hank of sexual misconduct. Roberts plays Alma, Maggie’s mentor and a friend of Hank. At the film’s premiere on September 26, Garfield reflected on the movie’s intricate exploration of hidden motives and self-awareness. He shared,
“I feel like we all feel like we are the heroes of our own stories. I think there’s quite beautiful moments of reckoning, self reckoning, self revelation, that each of our characters have in this film.”
Garfield further described the unsettling nature of the characters’ journeys, emphasizing the internal struggles they face. He said,
“It’s the kind of horrifying staring into the abyss of the kind of horrifying mirror that these characters are faced with at certain points.”
His comments underline the film’s tense and introspective tone, encouraging viewers to reflect on unconscious drives and personal truths.
Character Dynamics and Moral Complexity Highlighted by Garfield
Detailing his character’s perspective, Garfield outlined how Hank perceives himself as a humanist and inspiring educator, yet must confront unsettling realizations about his own actions.
“There is a kind of reckoning that this person, who believes himself to be a kind of humanist and a kind of great professor… is faced with something that he hadn’t previously recognized in himself,”
Garfield said. This complexity adds layers to the film’s narrative, depicting how individuals wrestle with contradictions within their identity and morality.
Ayo Edebiri on Collaborative Preparation and Creative Freedom
Ayo Edebiri, who plays Maggie, shared insights on the rehearsal process, noting that working at Roberts’ home created a space for the cast to deeply explore the script’s nuances. Edebiri said,
“We were just getting to excavate this text together, and I feel like there were just early conversations that we were having with each other, and also that I was having with [director] Luca [Guadagnino], where I feel like it was like we were getting permission, in a way, to, like, fill in the blanks where we needed to fill them in, and then where there needed to be space and ambiguity, or in moments with each other, to maybe find things that are more primal, we just got license to do that.”
She reflected on the freedom it provided to experiment emotionally, adding,
“Being able to have that license to, I don’t know, sometimes, like, fool each other, fool ourselves, I think was really freeing.”
Film Release Details and Anticipated Impact
After the Hunt will premiere in theaters in New York and Los Angeles on October 10, with a wider national release following on October 17. Given the film’s exploration of sensitive and challenging subject matter, the performances from Roberts, Garfield, and Edebiri are expected to provoke thoughtful discussion. The movie’s focus on personal accountability, ambiguous motives, and self-reckoning positions it as a significant addition to current cinematic narratives addressing complex human relationships and power dynamics.
