The off-screen action and red-carpet glamour at this year’s Venice International Film Festival has been just as entertaining as the movies premiering.

Considered both the world’s oldest film festival and its second most prestigious ­– after Cannes – Venice has played host to a Who’s Who of Hollywood while also showcasing haute couture from an equally noteworthy cast of international designers.

Standout films premiering at the festival on the island of Lido, which ends on Saturday (Italian time), from director Guillermo del Toro’s horror Frankenstein and Jim Jarmusch’s family drama Father Mother Sister Brother, to the political thriller The Wizard of Kremlin (starring Jude Law) and The Voice of Hind Rajab, a heartbreaking story set in war-torn Gaza.

Here are six of the most memorable moments off-screen.

Between a Rock and a premiere

Dwayne Johnson had tongues wagging when he rocked a new, more slimline look at the premiere of The Smashing Machine.

The muscle-bound ex-wrestler ­– whose biceps deserve a red carpet of their own – dropped a stack of weight to play UFC champion Mark Kerr in the biopic, telling media in Venice that he was “really hungry” for a different kind of role from his usual blockbuster fare which includes Black Adam, Jumanji and the Fast & Furious flicks.

The Rock melted even more hearts when he was spotted wiping away tears during a standing ovation at The Smashing Machine premiere.

Dwayne Johnson weeps during the 15-minute #Venezia2025 standing ovation for ‘The Smashing Machine.’ This was the most emotion we’ve since on the Lido since Brendan Fraser launched his Oscar campaign here four years ago for ‘The Whale.’ pic.twitter.com/BzAjB4v6uk

— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) September 1, 2025

Seeing double

Turning up to an event wearing the same outfit as another guest was once considered a fashion faux pas, but Hollywood stars Julia Roberts and Amanda Seyfried flipped the script in Venice.

Roberts posed at a photo call for After the Hunt ­– her new film, which has stirred up some #MeToo controversy ­– in a pair of dark high-waisted jeans with a navy blazer, yellow, beige and brown striped shirt and a black belt with gold buckle. Seyfried, who has the same stylist, asked the actor on Instagram if she could borrow it.

The answer was obviously yes because she wore it herself three days later at a photo call for her own film The Testament of Ann Lee, sharing an image with the hashtags #sustainable and #shareyourlooks.

Julia Roberts and Amanda Seyfried get matchy-matchy. Photos: Instagram

Don’t tell him what to do

Australian actor Jacob Elordi made headlines for the wrong reasons when a fan shared a clip on TikTok showing the Saltburn star clashing with a Film Festival official.

As fans flocked around the suave actor seeking autographs and selfies with him at the premiere of his new film ­– Guillermo del Toro’s fresh take on Frankenstein – Elordi exchanges stern words with the man. “I’m going to take a picture right here”, he insisted, adding: “Don’t ever tell me what to do”.

While some reckoned his reaction was just plain rude, the Tiktokker who posted the clip said Elordi took a photo with everyone he could … and he was “sexy and nice” to boot.

Birds of a feather

Fellow Australian Cate Blanchett also ruffled feathers at Venice – but they were on the skirt of her striking avant-garde gown.

The always-stylish star wowed fashion followers at the screening of her new film, Jim Jarmusch’s comedy drama Father Mother Sister Brother, with Harpers Bazaar declaring the ensemble was “just as striking as her performance on the screen”. It said the design had been a standout in the latest collection from Parisian luxury fashion house Maison Margiela.

“Grounded by a simple recycled polyester bodice, the unsettling floor-length feather skirt (a collage of nature morte paintings) felt alive in motion — and perhaps even more so on Blanchett in Venice.”

Oh George, where art thou?

Oscar-winning actor George Clooney was a notable no-show at events at the start of the Venice Film Festival after falling unwell with what his representative said was a “bad sinus infection”.

After making a grand entrance in a water taxi with wife Amal, the 64-year-old was forced to miss a press conference for director Noah Baumbach’s film Jay Kelly, leaving co-stars Adam Sandler and Laura Dern to take the spotlight.

He rallied for the premiere a few nights later, where the movie earned a 10-minute standing ovation and Harpers Bazaar applauded the Clooneys for their “megawatt glamour”, stating Amal was “the belle of the ball” and George looked “as sharp as ever”.

Rare red carpet date

Another couple creating a stir were actors Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara, who made a rare appearance together on the red carpet at the premiere of The Voice of Hind Rajab.

It was reportedly the first time the notoriously private pair, who have two children, have been snapped together this year.

Phoenix and Mara, who looked suitably sombre in matching black, are among a host of Hollywood heavyweights listed as executive producers of The Voice of Hind Rajab, which tells the story of a little Palestinian girl killed by Israeli forces while fleeing the violence in Gaza.

Deadline has described the film as one of the “buzziest” titles at Venice this year, reporting that the premiere screening received “what might be a film festival record 23-minute and 50-second ovation”.