Last week, After the Hunt premiered at the Venice Film Festival, and the stars of the film did their first festival press junket. Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield and Ayo Edebiri did most of their media duties together, meaning they were all sitting in a row as entertainment journalists came in and asked them questions. Julia has been around the industry for 35 years, and in my opinion, Julia is extremely fond of her younger costars, Ayo in particular. Well, the three actors had to deal with one of the craziest questions ever during the Venice junket. It looked like Julia was ready to tussle with someone, but instead, Julia sat back and let Ayo defend herself in a really powerful way. Here’s the clip, I’ve cued it to the awful part:
The question was: “Now that the #MeToo era and the Black Lives Matter are done, what do we have to expect in Hollywood? And what we lost … with the politically correct era.” Ayo responded: “Yeah, I know that that’s not for me, and I don’t know if it’s purposeful it’s not for me, but I just am curious… I don’t think it’s done. I don’t think it’s done at all. I think maybe hashtags might not be used as much, but I do think that there’s work being done by activists, by people, every day, that’s beautiful, important work that’s not finished — that’s really, really, really active for a reason, ’cause this world is really charged. And that work isn’t finished at all.” Julia interjected with “It’s not done.” They handled that well, including Andrew, who wanted absolutely no part in dealing with that question in any way. So, that clip has been making the rounds for several days. Then the Italian reporter, Federica Polidoro, ended up posting a terrible Instagram in which she “defended” herself.
The Italian reporter whose interview with After the Hunt stars Ayo Edebiri, Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield went viral is breaking her silence. Journalist Federica Polidoro sparked backlash after excluding Edebiri, 29, from a question regarding the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements while speaking to the stars on ArtsLife Tv on Friday, Sept. 5.
Polidoro took to Instagram on Monday, Sept. 8 to write that she has “been subjected to personal insults and attacks because of a question that, for some reason, was not well received by some members of the public. I find it striking that those who unjustly accuse me of racism and consider themselves custodians of justice find acceptable violent language, personal attacks, and cyberbullying… I would like to clarify that, rather than focusing on the thoughtful responses of Ayo Edebiri, Julia Roberts, and Andrew Garfield, the discussion continues solely on how I should have phrased the question. All the contributions from those present were reported in full in the published interview, without any omissions.”
In response to the backlash, Polidoro wrote in her Instagram statement that she believes “censoring or delegitimizing questions considered ‘uncomfortable’ does not fall within the practice of democracy.”
The journalist also wrote that she has “interviewed people of every background and ethnicity, and my own family is multi-ethnic, matriarchal, and feminist, with a significant history of immigration” in response to people whom she opined have “unjustly accuse[d] me of racism.”
“I have collaborated for over twenty years with numerous national and international publications of all political orientations, always approaching my work with openness and professional rigor. In my view, the real racists are those who see racism everywhere and seek to muzzle journalism, limiting freedom of analysis, critical thinking, and the plurality of perspectives,” Polidoro continued.
She said, “Journalism’s role is to ask questions, even on delicate topics, with respect and responsibility. I will not tolerate or accept defamatory or violent language, and I reserve the right to seek legal protection against those who, in recent days, have chosen to hide behind the digital mob to insult and attack me instead of seeking a civil and constructive discussion.”
Does this woman not understand the difference between asking the white actors in particular “do you think we’re living in a post-MeToo and post-BLM world” versus “Now that the #MeToo era and the Black Lives Matter are done, what have we lost,” with the obvious implication of “what have we lost as white people,” since she was directing her question solely to Julia and Andrew. One question is thought-provoking and might inspire some interesting responses from white actors. The other question is a declarative (and incorrect) statement spoken through the prism of Eurocentric white supremacy. Anyway, Ayo is wonderful and I’m sorry she had to deal with that.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images and screengrabs from ArtsLife video.
