Italian Reporter Defends Excluding Ayo Edebiri During Viral Venice Interview

At the Venice Film Festival, a viral interview moment occurred when Italian journalist Federica Polidoro excluded Ayo Edebiri from a question about the MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements, directing it only to Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield. Edebiri responded by asserting that these movements are not over, emphasizing ongoing activism despite the reduced use of hashtags. Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield also agreed that the work related to these movements is far from finished. Polidoro faced significant backlash and accusations of racism for her exclusion of Edebiri, prompting her to issue a statement on Instagram condemning personal insults and cyberbullying while defending her interview approach. She clarified that the question was specifically posed to Roberts and Garfield, and expressed frustration that public discussion focused more on her phrasing rather than the actors' thoughtful responses. Neither Edebiri, Roberts, nor Garfield have publicly commented further on the incident.