Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt isn’t your average prestige drama. Set at Yale University, it throws professors, students, and administrators into a moral minefield where ambition, reputation, and buried secrets collide. Julia Roberts anchors the story as a philosophy professor who finds herself caught in scandal but the film’s ensemble cast is just as crucial in shaping its unsettling tension.
Who Does Julia Roberts Play in After the Hunt?
Roberts stars as Alma Imhoff (also referred to as Alma Olsson in some sources), a respected philosophy professor whose carefully built career begins to crack after one of her students accuses a colleague of misconduct. Alma’s journey isn’t just about choosing sides it’s about protecting her own dark past, a secret that could ruin her tenure prospects. Critics at Venice have called Roberts’ performance the “monumental center” of the film.
Who Is Ayo Edebiri’s Character?
Edebiri plays Margaret “Maggie” Resnick, Alma’s brightest PhD student and protégé. Maggie accuses Alma’s colleague Hank of assault, but her story is complicated by plagiarism allegations, unspoken romantic feelings, and her role as a queer Black woman with powerful donor parents. She’s as layered as she is unpredictable, making her one of the film’s most talked-about figures.
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What Role Does Andrew Garfield Play?
Garfield takes on Henrik “Hank” Gibson, Alma’s colleague and longtime friend. Accused of misconduct by Maggie, Hank claims he’s being punished for exposing her plagiarism. His arc a fast, brutal firing that raises questions about due process makes him one of the film’s most polarizing figures.
Who Else Rounds Out the Main Cast of After the Hunt?
| Actor | Character | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Stuhlbarg | Frederik Imhoff (a.k.a. Olsson) | Alma’s psychiatrist husband, who adds both tenderness and unease to her unraveling. His sing-song, eccentric portrayal has drawn praise as one of the film’s highlights. |
| Chloë Sevigny | Dr. Kim Sayers | A student liaison and Alma’s confidante, trying to balance university protocol with personal friendship. |
| Lío Mehiel | Alex | Maggie’s non-binary partner, who becomes a lightning rod for Alma’s cruelty and embodies the generational identity politics shaping the film. |
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Who’s in the Supporting Cast?
Beyond the central six, Guadagnino brings in a wide supporting ensemble including Thaddea Graham, Will Price, Trevor Eve, Ariyan Kassam, and others as Yale faculty, students, and administrators. While their roles haven’t been publicly detailed, they flesh out the university setting, giving the story a lived-in authenticity.
Shot at Cambridge (standing in for Yale), Guadagnino uses meticulous staging from body language to silences to make every exchange feel loaded. Even the score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross has split critics, with some calling it whiny and others finding it perfectly unnerving. The result? A campus thriller where tension comes less from plot twists and more from the psychological pressure between characters.
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Release Details
| Territory | Release Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. (NY & LA) | Limited theatrical release | October 10, 2025 |
| U.S. (Nationwide) | Wide theatrical release | October 17, 2025 |
| U.K. | Theatrical release | October 22, 2025 |
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