Julia Roberts and Ayo Edebiri on Complex Characters, Mood Music, and Living Together For After The Hunt

When I meet Julia Roberts and Ayo Edebiri to discuss their new film, After The Hunt, I'm instantly struck - and quite disarmed - by their immediate warmth. Moments before, I'd finished my third coffee of the day while running through my questions, wondering what to expect from these incredibly talented Hollywood heavyweights. But, as I bounced into the Claridge's suite buoyed by coffee and excitement, I was greeted by a casually standing Julia Roberts and a smiling Ayo Edebiri, and both graciously shook my hand while assuring me that it wasn't as sweaty as I'd just announced it was. Affable and open, they inquisitively asked me about my name, and their relaxed demeanour meant I almost forgot that I was sat opposite two A-listers.

In that moment, I also knew that we were in for a fun ten minutes. The pair have a natural ease with one another, and throughout the interview they laugh about briefly living together before filming, how press tours affect their sense of style, and how they managed to crack their 'serious' co-star, Michael Stuhlbarg.

After The Hunt, directed by Luca Guadagnino, follows Alma (Roberts), a college professor who is forced to reckon with her own lines of loyalty and trust when her student (Edebiri) accuses her colleague (Andrew Garfield) of sexual assault. The acting from Julia and Ayo is impeccable, and their onscreen chemistry is undeniable. The bond between them is evident when I meet them on a surprisingly mild October afternoon in London, and they tell me about the process of portraying complex characters, as well as their go-to music for releasing tension.

After The Hunt aims to interrogate our belief systems around truth, trust and loyalty. Why you were both drawn to the film?

JR: I think the answer is in your question, right? All that conversation goes on in one's own head when you read a piece of material. As we started conversations with Luca [Guadagnino] about it and his way of looking at things, and his infinite curiosity in people and why they make the decisions they make, why they hide certain things, or the posturing of people - it's all so deeply fascinating. And to play a character who... everything is done in very calculated measures. Nothing is spontaneous, really, until the unraveling starts. But yeah, I think the short answer was in your question, and the long answer I just made longer than it needed to be!

AE: I agree, completely. I could add on, but I don't know how important it is!

The viewer is constantly assessing who they trust, or who they don't, and why. The characters also go on those journeys - how did it feel to play these complex individuals, and how hard was it to portray those nuances?

AE: I think there's a toughness to it... because they're just complicated and in these quite dark places - in their minds, and in their hearts in different degrees. But at the end of the day, you're finding central truths to this person that you're embodying. There was something oddly freeing about that, for me definitely, because I can also be quite analytical. There was something about portraying these characters who find themselves quite intelligent, but they really are working from their basest emotions in a lot of ways. There was something that was really freeing about that.

This is the first time that you have worked together - how was that experience?

AE: [Sarcastically] Awful. Toxic.

JR: [Laughs] All five of us really.. on paper, we're five super different people but in the room, it was astonishing. I mean, I was really surprised. We even - Michael Stuhlbarg is a very serious person. We broke that man. We broke him right open!

AE: [Laughing] He's so funny! And so weird, and amazing.

JR: We have found out things about Michael, and his hopes and dreams, and thoughts - I mean, honestly, our work is done here now.

AE: Oh, yeah.

You also lived together for a few weeks before filming, didn't you?

JR: Yeah.

AE: [Laughing] The way that this sounds!

JR: It's getting longer! 'You guys spent a year together?'

AE: [Laughs] 'You guys all boarded a box cart on a train, and train-hopped across the country for a year?'

Just to get into the nitty gritty of each other's personalities! How was that experience?

JR: We were rehearsing, and living.

AE: Yeah going through the text and just talking.

JR: And talking, yeah. Getting to know each other. It's kind of - have you ever heard of the Evelyn Wood speed reading course? It was a way of learning how to get through text really, really quickly. And I felt like all of us living together for that year in Corsica...

AE: Ha!

JR: It was the Evelyn Wood speed reading course of getting to know each other. Especially as we were going to be in this really intense, very short shooting schedule. We had to be on task at all times, and I think that was our shortcut to it.

The film's soundtrack is very intense. What songs or music do you guys listen to when you want to release tension?

AE: For me I like to listen to a lot of jazz, especially anything that's really like drum-heavy - that's helpful for that. I have different playlists also for different types of, like, is it coming from more of a sad place? From an anxious place? That'll change it. But I think sometimes stuff without lyrics is helpful for me because I can work through all my thoughts.

JR: That's good. I can only think of Taj Mahal right now. I don't know why. I don't know why! That's just gonna be my answer.

In terms of the styling for the film, there's a lot of monochrome - even today you're wearing black and white!

JR: We didn't even discuss this.

AE: We didn't even plan this.

JR: One's the angel... and one's not.

AE: Well [pointing at Julia's outfit] I think this is quite angelic!

JR: You do? Thank you.

I love that you're still in sync. The tie is beautiful, too.

JR: Thank you, it's Zara London.

AE: No, ZARS London!

JR: [Laughing] Oh, not Zara. ZARS London.

In your personal style, how do you feel like you are able to express yourselves with fashion?

JR: [Takes breath] Hmm. Taj Mahal? [Laughs] Personal style. It's a tricky question, because we have been on this long press tour, and even though - I think I'm going to speak for both of us for a moment.

AE: Please! Start.

JR: Stop me if I overstep. Even though we both have very strong ideas and things that we really like and that we enjoy, we have these incredible people who are bringing us all these beautiful things to choose from, and life becomes very easy in that way. And so then I go, 'Wow, do I have personal style when I'm home?' Sometimes, it's just what's on the floor next to the bed that I wore the day before. Levi's and a good top is sort of my go-to! But your personal style - I forget what it is when I have all this incredible, beautiful help on the daily I also forget how to do my hair.

AE: Yeah, you forget everything!

After The Hunt is in UK cinemas now.