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Ralph Fiennes shared a sweet embrace with his co-star Juliette Binoche at the New York premiere of The Return in Bleecker Street on Tuesday.
The British actor, 61, looked happier than ever as he posed with Juliette, 60, on the red carpet at AMC Lincoln Square theatre.
The Harry Potter star reunites with Juliette for this modern retelling of Homer’s Odyssey, marking 30 years since their iconic performances in Oscar-winning The English Patient.
Dressed in a stylish white hood jumper, Juliette couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she joined Ralph.
She teamed her stunning look with a trendy black leather-look coat and stylish heeled boots.
The trailer reveals The Return as the story of King Odysseus (Fiennes) finally reaching Ithaca after his long, brutal journey home from the Trojan War, only to face a harsh reality.
Ralph Fiennes, 61, shared a sweet embrace with his co-star Juliette Binoche, 60, at the New York premiere of The Return in Bleecker Street on Tuesday
The British actor looked happier than ever as he posed with Juliette on the red carpet at AMC Lincoln Square theatre
'What will the people say when they see I have returned alone? That I led all their men to their deaths?' he asks somberly.
In a stark close-up, Fiennes looks completely transformed—dressed in rags, with a scruffy beard and tired, haunted eyes—revealing just how much this king has endured on his journey home.
The official synopsis reads: 'After 20 years away, Odysseus (Fiennes) washes up on the shores of Ithaca, haggard and unrecognizable. The King has returned from the Trojan War, but much has changed in his kingdom.
'His beloved wife Penelope (Binoche) is a prisoner in her own home, hounded by suitors vying to be king. Their son Telemachus faces death at the hands of these suitors, who see him as merely an obstacle to their pursuit of the kingdom.
Odysseus has also changed — scarred by his experience of the Trojan war, he is no longer the mighty warrior from years past — but he must rediscover his strength in order to win back all he has lost.'
Charlie Plummer, Marwan Kenzari, Claudio Santamaria, and Angela Molina round out the star-studded cast.
The Return was co-written by director Uberto Pasolini, along with John Collee and Edward Bond. Pasolini also serves as producer, joined by James Clayton, Roberto Sessa, and Kostantinos Kontovrakis.
In October, Ralph shared with IndieWire that The Return takes bold departures from the classic tale of Odysseus.
The Harry Potter star reunites with Juliette for this modern retelling of Homer’s Odyssey, marking 30 years since their iconic performances in in Oscar-winning The English Patient
Dressed in a stylish white hood jumper, Juliette couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she joined Ralph
She teamed her stunning look with a trendy black leather-look coat and stylish heeled boots
The Return made its world premiere on September 7 at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, where Juliette told The Hollywood Reporter that reconnecting with Ralph on-screen was 'joyful.'
The two had previously worked together on The English Patient and the 1992 Wuthering Heights adaptation, marking Ralph's film debut
'We stayed friends all these years,' shared Juliette, who won the 1997 Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in The English Patient
Ralph told the outlet that it was 'a no-brainer' to play Juliette's onscreen husband
'Juliette is like a compass for me: She has such an extraordinary, intuitive depth and understanding about what it is to act on film'
'The script did away with monsters,' Fiennes explained. 'It was the end of The Odyssey, and there’s no goddess Athena to help Odysseus look pretty and give him a fuller head of hair or make him more useful.
'So we embrace the idea that he is a man after 20 years of travel, 10 years at war, 20 years lost.
'He’s washed up naked, with nothing. He’s given a blanket. All I wear is one red piece of cloth I wrapped around me in different ways, and a loin cloth.'
The Return made its world premiere on September 7 at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, where Juliette told The Hollywood Reporter that reconnecting with Ralph on-screen was 'joyful.'
The two had previously worked together on The English Patient and the 1992 Wuthering Heights adaptation, marking Ralph's film debut.
'We stayed friends all these years,' shared Juliette, who won the 1997 Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in The English Patient.
Ralph told the outlet that it was 'a no-brainer' to play Juliette's onscreen husband.
'Juliette is like a compass for me: She has such an extraordinary, intuitive depth and understanding about what it is to act on film.'
The Return made its world premiere on September 7 at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, where Juliette told The Hollywood Reporter that reconnecting with Ralph on-screen was 'joyful'
'We stayed friends all these years,' shared Juliette, who won the 1997 Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in The English Patient
At 61, Ralph underwent a rigorous regimen of diet, running, and weight training to sculpt a lean, muscular physique for his portrayal of Odysseus.
'We were aiming for a sort of sinewy look, of someone who has spent their life rowing, swimming and sailing and not eating a lot,' Fiennes told THR.
'Uberto was very anxious that I shouldn’t look like someone who’s been to the gym. And, frankly, at my age, I’m not going to put on a lot of muscle anyway.
'I put myself in the hands of this wonderful man, my trainer, and just surrendered to his will. What I learned is the key is a very strict diet. If you follow that, you shed unwanted flesh.'
The Return premieres in theatres December 6.
