In the past three decades, Julia Roberts has been nurturing one of the most prolific acting careers in Hollywood. People around the world instantly recognize her thanks to her iconic roles and dazzling smile.
She had her first noticeable role in the 1989 film “Steel Magnolias” as Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie. Her character suffered from type 1 diabetes and a whole lot of family stress. The film was well received by critics and got good ratings from audiences too. The Academy nominated her for a Best Supporting Actress award for this role, and it was by no means the last they’ve seen of her.
In the Public Eye
Being in the spotlight has some benefits. It usually comes with great wealth, fans who adore you, and flashy events. But it has its negative sides too, like paparazzi and people sticking their noses in your relationships, among other things.
Roberts and Moder soldiered through it all. The good and the bad and have chosen to keep some things out of the public eye after seeing how much it can take over your life. It has a lot to do with how private they are about their love life — not an easy feat to achieve when you have such a high-profile career and you’ve always been badgered by the paparazzi.
Publicly Private
As advertised, Roberts and Moder are particularly private, but opening up to Paltrow about the couple's life wasn't that hard. The two (Roberts and Paltrow) are dear and close friends, and have a long history together. Roberts even attended Paltrow’s engagement party in 2018, and the two have been posing together for pics since the start of both of their careers.
The two first met when they starred in the movie "Hook" together in 1991 (Paltrow played young Wendy, and Roberts was Tinkerbell) and have been nurturing their friendship ever since. So having a heart-to-heart with each other didn't feel as revealing to Roberts.
A Steel Fist
While "Steel Magnolias" was very successful and put her on the map as an actress of worth, shooting it was a very difficult experience for Roberts. It was her first big role, which meant nothing to Director Herbert Ross, who treated her harshly despite Roberts being an effortlessly sweet and easy actress to work with.
According to her co-star Sally Field, Ross went after her as if it was a quest for vengeance. Shirley MacLaine, another co-star, said that Roberts was often in tears and doubting her own talent. Little did young Julia know, things were about to get a lot better.
The Pretty Woman Effect
Julia's most famous role is definitely that of Vivian Ward, the streetwalker with the ultimate happy ending in "Pretty Woman" (1990). This is a real Cinderella story from beginning to end, and they couldn't make a better choice than Roberts for the lead character. This was Roberts’ ninth role played in Hollywood, and it certainly increased her rankings in the show biz sector and only catapulted her further into the world of fame.
Sharing the screen with Richard Gere, Roberts was nominated for another Academy Award, this time as Best Actress. From there, the road for numerous blockbusters and starring credits was paved.