Julia Roberts Wipes Away Tears, Blows Kisses and Hugs Luca Guadagnino During 6-Minute Venice Standing Ovation for ‘After the Hunt’

Julia Roberts got emotional as her new movie, “After the Hunt” — Luca Guadagnino’s drama in which she plays a troubled professor — wowed Venice on Friday night.

The Amazon MGM Studios release premiered on the Lido to a 6-minute standing ovation. As the clapping continued, Roberts wiped away tears, blew kisses to the crowd and hugged her director and co-stars Ayo Edebiri (who also teared up) and Andrew Garfield.

Guadagnino and Roberts both paused to sign autographs on the red carpet before entering the packed Sala Grande to cheers of “Julia!” and “Luca!”

Roberts plays Alma Olsson, a revered Ivy League professor who is forced to grapple with her own secretive past after one of her colleagues is accused of crossing a line with her student. Garfield plays Henrik “Hank” Gibson, the colleague of Roberts’ character, and “The Bear” breakout Edebiri is Maggie Price, Alma’s protégée who levels the allegation.

The R-rated film has already caused controversy on the Lido, with a heated press conference earlier on Friday leveling questions about the film’s messaging around the #MeToo movement and cancel culture. Roberts defended her latest work, denying that “After the Hunt” is attempting to stoke controversy and lamenting that society is “losing the art of conversation in humanity right now.”

“We’re not making statements; we are portraying these people in this moment in time,” she said. “I don’t know about controversy, per se, but we are challenging people to have conversation. To be excited or infuriated about it is up to you. If making this movie does anything, getting everybody to talk to each other is the most exciting thing that I think we could accomplish.”

“After the Hunt” also stars Guadagnino regulars Michael Stuhlbarg and Chloë Sevigny in supporting roles. The script was penned by Nora Garrett in her feature screenwriting debut. It was produced by Guadagnino, Brian Grazer, Jeb Brody and Allan Mandelbaum. Executive producers include Garrett, Karen Lunder, Justin Wilkes and Alice Dawson.

Guadagnino was just at Venice Film Festival last year with “Queer,” his William S. Burroughs’ adaptation starring Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey that premiered in competition. The period romantic drama earned a nine-minute standing ovation. Italian auteur Guadagnino has a long history at the festival, having premiered numerous films there over the years including his directorial debut “The Protagonists” in 1999; the 2004 documentary “Cuoco Contandino”; Desire Trilogy installments “I Am Love” (2009) and “A Bigger Splash” (2015) starring Tilda Swinton; 2018’s “Suspiria” with Dakota Johnson; his 2020 Ferragamo documentary “The Shoemaker of Dreams”; and romantic horror “Bones and All” (2022) starring Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell, which won the Silver Lion for best direction.

“After the Hunt” premieres in theaters in New York and L.A. on Oct. 10 and expands wide Oct. 17.