Julia Roberts revealed she was scared and intimidated about meeting Chloë Sevigny for the first time during a group interview with Variety about the upcoming film After the Hunt. The session featured Sevigny, Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Garfield, Michael Stuhlbarg, director Luca Guadagnino and producer Allan Mandelbaum, and was published Thursday.
Roberts described the first encounter at her home, where Sevigny arrived to discuss the film as Roberts’s daughter Hazel, who is 20, was at the table. Allan Mandelbaum noted Sevigny would join soon. In the kitchen, Guadagnino looked up and asked what was going on as Roberts admitted she was scared and Ayo Edebiri said she felt the same. Hazel left through the garage a minute later, and the group continued talking amid the mix of nerves and excitement.
Sevigny told Variety she immediately felt comfortable with Roberts, inviting the group to rehearse at Roberts’s beach house, where she was generous with the cast. The two formed a quick rapport, Sevigny said, and Roberts’ hospitality helped ease the nerves of their first face-to-face meeting.
Sevigny later said she missed Roberts after production ended and watched several of her films during the plane ride home, expressing that she wanted more of Roberts’s work. That moment underscored the sense of camaraderie among the cast as promotion for the drama continued.
The film After the Hunt centers on Alma Olsson, a Yale philosophy professor who finds herself at a personal and professional crossroads after Maggie Price, a star pupil, accuses Alma's colleague and friend Hank Gibson of sexual assault following a late-night study session. Sevigny plays Dr. Kim Sayers, Alma’s university liaison, while Garfield portrays Hank Gibson and Stuhlbarg plays Alma’s psychiatrist husband. The project is slated to premiere in theaters Oct. 10.
The cast and crew have been moving through festival circuits and press events ahead of the release, including appearances at major industry venues. A photo from the 82nd Venice International Film Festival in 2025 shows Stuhlbarg, Roberts, Edebiri, Sevigny and Garfield on the red carpet, signaling the film’s elevated profile on the global circuit.
Roberts’ remarks add to the broader discussion surrounding Guadagnino’s drama and the ensemble’s chemistry, illustrating how a film’s production process and relationships can shape audience anticipation ahead of its release.