Venice film festival: T-shirts replace red carpet glitz as striking stars lay low

Support for the Hollywood strikes is evident as festival hopes its strong line-up makes up for lack of glamour

It’s been five years since Bradley Cooper brought his last movie to Venice. His appearance on the Lido alongside Lady Gaga was the epitome of Hollywood glamour. The pair arrived by boat, held hands on the red carpet, and – in a packed out press conference – discussed their mutual adoration. A thousand headlines wrote themselves.

But when Cooper’s directorial follow-up, the Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro, premieres at Venice this week, the actor and film-maker won’t be present to take pictures, sign autographs or answer questions about the “Jewface” controversy that’s preceded the film’s release. His co-star Carey Mulligan won’t be around either.