Julia Roberts: I have a lot of confidence in the intellect of moviegoers'

"It seems strange, after so many years of seeing her on screen and given that she rarely makes public appearances to suddenly be sharing physical space with Julia Roberts. After nearly four decades in film and more than 50 screen appearances, and with that aura of stardom that has surrounded her ever since Pretty Woman, 35 years ago, Roberts, now 57, is still that magnetic woman with the big smile who somehow makes everyone pay attention to whatever she does."

"In her latest role, she plays a philosophy professor, Alma Imhoff, under the direction of Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, with whom she is working for the first time. The actress and director arrive together at the bar of a luxury Los Angeles hotel to talk about the film a professional challenge for Roberts, both because it's hard to empathize with her cool, emotionally distant character"

"When Maggie (Ayo Edebiri), one of Alma's brightest students or perhaps not so bright confides that she has been abused by Alma's favorite colleague at Yale, fellow professor Hank (Andrew Garfield), the protagonist's professional, personal, and moral worlds begin to crumble. Alma starts questioning many things. So do the viewers. Roberts knows this and, with her thoughtful sense of humor, she enjoys the fact that the film provokes that kind of conversation."

Julia Roberts plays Alma Imhoff, a philosophy professor who faces professional and moral collapse after a student alleges abuse by a favored colleague. The film, directed by Luca Guadagnino, portrays ambiguous emotional terrain and resists imposing a single definitive point of view. The narrative follows how victims and everyone around them process, experience, and manage an abuse allegation, highlighting endless nuances and uncertainty. The production premiered at the Venice Film Festival and opens in theaters October 17. Roberts finds the role professionally challenging because the protagonist is cool and emotionally distant, and the story intentionally provokes conversation and reflection.

Read at english.elpais.com