Julia Roberts reveals tough challenge about playing ‘After the Hunt’ role

Julia Roberts looked back on the challenges and the difficulties she faced while playing the role of Alma from After the Hunt.

The film follows Roberts as a college professor who navigates a sexual assault accusation imposed by a student named Maggie (Ayo Edebiri ) against Alma's colleague Hank (Andrew Garfield).

In addition to Garfield and Edebiri, she also stars along Michael Stuhlbard and Chloë Sevignyg.

In an interview with Variety, Roberts was joined by Edebiri, Garfield and director Luca Guadagnino, discussing about their new academia-themed drama.

The Pretty Woman star shared that the "hardest part for me was not being sympathetic and empathetic."

"For me as a person, it’s like, 'Oh, how can I hold her?' And she was not to be held. This was not the time," shared the Notting Hill actress.

Explaining how her character is totally opposite to her real life personality, Roberts continued, "I have a very hen-like personality; I want to gather, and I want to feed and care. And she’s just the opposite of every instinct I’ve ever had in my life."

The Academy Award winner went on to talk about how mentally draining it was , adding, "I think there were times where I just found it really exhausting; the mental gymnastics of the way she lives her life is very unfamiliar to me."

After the Hunt, which had its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, is slated for release on October 10.