“Oh my God, it’s so hot, I’m so hot!” exclaimed Nicole Kidman as she entered the Sala Grande, the central Venice Film Festival cinema, for the world premiere of her erotic thriller “Babygirl,” fanning her face and airing her neck under the very welcome (but not quite powerful enough) air conditioning. “It’s so much cooler in here!” she then told a fan as she posed for a selfie.
As it happens, Kidman was speaking on behalf of practically every festival attendee.
If the buzzword of Venice last year was strikes, for 2024 it’s — unquestionably — sweat. Buckets of the stuff. So much so that even A-listers like Kidman, whose lofty existences should see them unconcerned by such a lowly matter as perspiration, have been struggling to cope.
“It’s the topic everyone is talking about in Venice,” says one stylist. “Everyone is sweating.”
An unprecedented and prolonged heatwave across Italy over the last week (fuelled by a lingering African anticyclone, FYI) has seen thermometers soar into the upper 80 degrees Fahrenheit, turning much of the festival into a muggy, dripping, sodden mess within seconds of any outdoor exposure. Even under the shade there’s been no escape.
But while it may have been a somewhat unpleasant experience for the average guest (especially those lugging heavy bags around or getting the comically overcrowded vaporettos back and forth from the Lido to the main city of Venice), spare a thought for the poor celebrities.
Because not only have they been squeezing into an array of high fashion for the red carpet premieres and parties, but they’ve been facing thousands of camera lenses ready to pick up every bead of sweat, glistening forehead or damp patch in dazzling high-definition.
According to an insider, A-listers having been telling their publicists they are “dreading the red carpet because of the heat.”
At the premiere for the Apple TV+ crime caper “Wolfs” on Sunday night, George Clooney was seen wiping sweat from his brow and wafting his tuxedo jacket to give himself an airing. At this premiere — and several others Variety witnessed — photographers came equipped with mini fans in an attempt to cool down their overheating subjects (one of which was reportedly seen being given to Brad Pitt’s girlfriend Ines de Ramon to help her cope).
But other attempts to stay chilled have only got in the way of those trying to enjoy their red carpet moment. As he waited in the official — and rather toasty — festival car to be dropped off at the “Babygirl” premiere, producer David Hinojosa (who also produced “The Brutalist”) says he got someone to pass him a bottle of San Pellegrino for some much-needed hydration. However he subsequently found himself awkwardly clutching the bottle as he made his “movie star” exit from the vehicle in front of the cameras, which then caught him trying to hide it on the floor behind the billowing white dress of “Babygirl” director Halina Reijn. A friend later sent him the video.
And even away from the festival and the glare of the lights, things are little better. One stylist notes that Venice is “full of paparazzi” from the minute stars land, meaning they have to quickly find a place to change as brands have likely given them outfits, sunglasses and other accessories for every occasion, including the “arriving look, the welcoming look and the red carpet look.” On that note, a publicist tells Variety she got off a water taxi in the main part of Venice to find “Guy Pearce dripping in sweat having selfies with other people drenched in sweat.”
