Julia Roberts is the ultimate host, if her After the Hunt co-stars’ stories are anything to go by. The mother of three, who lives with her husband Danny Moder in San Francisco, made sure to welcome the cast of the psychological thriller into her home not only to rehearse with them, but also to form a close bond. HELLO! was in attendance at an intimate Q&A for the film, which took place at Hotel Cipriani during the Venice Film Festival, and found out all about their friendship.
The perfect host
When asked how they prepared to step into their roles for the film, co-star Andrew Garfield shared that it was all about getting to know each other better, with Julia’s help. “There’s something magical that happened at the beginning of this process, where Julia invited us to San Francisco to be with her and her family. We were invited to her house to rehearse, as well as to just hang and be together,” he recalled.
“And to eat baked goods, which she baked herself,” said Chloë Sevigny, while Ayo Edebiri chimed in, “They were really good.” Chloë added: “She asked us prior if anybody had any allergies because she’s very considerate.” Not only did Julia bake for the cast, she also tapped into her fun side by throwing pajama parties.
“Another secret of our San Francisco preparation was that me, Ayo and Chloë had pajama parties at Julia’s house. That was fantastic,” said director Luca Guadagnino, best known for his work on Call Me By Your Name and Challengers. The fiercely private actress, whose eldest two children, Hazel and Phinnaeus, have moved away to college, resides in San Francisco with Danny and their youngest son, Henry.
Watch the trailer for After the Hunt below…
Family first
Julia’s greatest joy is being a mother, and the Oscar winner found it incredibly difficult to be away from her family while filming Ticket to Paradise with George Clooney in 2022. The duo moved to Australia for the project, as did his wife and kids, yet production was stalled multiple times due to COVID-19 outbreaks.
“The Clooneys saved me from complete loneliness and despair. We were in a bubble, and it’s the longest I’ve ever been away from my family,” she said in an interview with The New York Times in 2022. “I don’t think I’ve spent that much time by myself since I was 25.”
It’s no wonder that she invited her newest co-stars into her home, where she can rehearse while still being a present mother. Julia added that Ticket to Paradise was the first film she had done in four years, after taking a step back from Hollywood to spend more time with her kids.
“I just take it all as it comes,” she explained. “I try to be super present and not plan, and I don’t have any upcoming acting jobs. Getting back to a routine feels really good. And I love being at home, I love being a mom.”
Oscar-worthy
© Amazon MGMJulia has garnered Oscar buzz for her role in After the Hunt as Alma Olsson, a charismatic philosophy professor who finds herself at a crossroads when her favorite student accuses a colleague of assault. “That’s how we wanted it to feel – that everybody comes out with all these different feelings, emotions and points of views. You realize what you believe in strongly and what your convictions are because we stir it all up for you,” she said during a press conference.
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