Actor Julia Roberts has been in Hollywood for 30 years and to date, she feels that the world and the industry is male dominated.
Speaking ahead of the release of After the Hunt, directed by Luca Guadagnino, Roberts noted that her character Alma Imhoff is quite relatable in the psychological thriller. She plays a college professor caught between a student's accusation and her own dark past. The character had to be successful in a "deeply misogynist" world to achieve her position.
Recalling incidents from real life, she said, "Any woman in any job not populated in the majority by women can say Alma's speech...We've all had that experience. Any woman has. Because I often find myself sitting at a table and, maybe, there's only one other woman there. In those sort of environments. I am without fear," she told The Times.
The 57-year-old Oscar-winning actor picked the film as she couldn't decide if she liked the character or hated her. "Basically, when I became a parent, I learnt that I could not take a job unless I was fully committed to it. If I still feel like I had one foot in the house I could not do it, but the thing that intrigued me here was that I just couldn't decide if I liked Alma or hated her. Or even understood her. And that is a reason to leave the comfort of my own home for work, right? To go someplace uncomfortable," she added.
Roberts also shared her thoughts on the rise in generation gap among various generations. "So I was at a school parent meeting. And all the parents were sharing their troubles. Their kid listens to music they are uncomfortable with. They are on the phone too much. All these things and some parents struggle more than others. Some kids push back harder."
She further added, "But then this incredible mum, so cool and beautiful, stands up and goes, 'I love teenagers. I love them! They are the raddest creatures on the planet.' And she's right and that reminds you how much we miss in life when we think we know more - or better. About everything."
In addition to Roberts, After the Hunt's star cast includes Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Garfield, Michael Stuhlbarg, Chloe Sevigny, Lio Mehiel, Ariyan Kassam, Will Price, Thaddea Graham, Christine Dye, and Burgess Byrd.
Luca Guadagnino has directed with a screenplay from Nora Garrett, After the Hunt is produced by Guadagnino, Brian Grazer, and Allan Mandelbaum.
The technical crew comprises cinematographer Malik Hassan Sayeed, editor Marco Costa, and music composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
Meanwhile, Roberts is currently filming for her next, Panic Carefully, written and directed by Sam Esmail, which she is also producing. Guadagnino, on the other hand, is working on Artificial, starring Andrew Garfield, a biographical comedy drama based on OpenAI founder Sam Altman.
