Julia Roberts and Ayo Edebiri on blurred truths in “After the Hunt”

In the new psychological thriller “After the Hunt,” actors Julia Roberts and Ayo Edebiri face off in a story about power, loyalty, and blurred morality. The film, directed by Luca Guadagnino, follows a college professor and her protégé as an accusation of assault shatters their academic world and forces both women to confront uncomfortable truths.

Roberts plays the professor, whose devoted student, portrayed by Edebiri, accuses her closest confidante of misconduct. The movie, which also stars Andrew Garfield, explores the fallout from the allegation as the characters compete for tenure and navigate shifting alliances.

Roberts told Gayle King on “CBS Mornings” that sparking conversation is the ultimate goal of art.

“You don’t want anybody to walk away from this painting and just be like, ‘Hmm.’ That’s death,” Roberts said.

Edebiri agreed, saying the movie invites discussion and debate.

“I think it’s also a movie you have to talk about it with someone else,” Edebiri said. “It’s like you have to find somebody and make space for nuance, and listening, and discussion, disagreement, even.”

When asked who she believes is telling the truth in the story, Roberts declined to say.

“That is for me to know,” she said, explaining that sharing her opinion would be “a disservice” since her view isn’t “the” truth or “the” correct answer.

Roberts said she and Guadagnino got the script first. Then they both set their sights on Edebiri. 

“She was the next person we discussed, and she was the one clear, the one just clear bell that we both heard,” Roberts said. “Luca had said, you know, ‘What do you think about Ayo Edebiri?’ And I was like, ‘What’s not to think?’ And thank goodness, I mean, we sort of would have been set adrift if Ayo hadn’t agreed to do it, because it’s a critical piece.”

The film includes an emotional scene in which Edebiri’s character slaps Roberts’ character, a moment Edebiri admitted she was nervous about.

“Today’s the day that I have to slap, like, God’s gift to planet earth,” she said, citing that Roberts is part of “a trifecta of non-Caribbean women” who she says some Caribbean people consider the “holy trinity” of icons, alongside Princess Diana and Celine Dion.

“You just gotta slap me,” Roberts recalled telling Edebiri. “I didn’t want her to have any Ayo thought in her head in that moment.”

When asked which of her own films Edebiri should remake, Roberts suggested two of her classics.

“‘My Best Friend’s Wedding” because you’re so funny, and physical and great,” she said. And August: Osage County

“After the Hunt” is out in select theaters.