Julia Roberts is and has always been a shining star of Hollywood. That million-watt smile, her effortless charisma and style, her iconic “Pretty Woman” role…she rose to fame in the late 1980s, and fans fell in love with her right away. She grew up in a small town in Georgia, and her only exposure to acting was a workshop her parents briefly ran when she was a kid. She fulfilled her dreams when she moved to NYC after high school. Here are some fascinating facts you almost certainly didn’t know about Julia Roberts.
She skyrocketed to fame in 1989
Roberts decided to move to NYC after realizing she had three options. She told the New York Times, “I could get married, I could go to college, or I could move to New York. Nobody was asking to get married, and I didn’t want to go away to school, so I moved.” Upon arrival, she signed with a modeling agency and got her first role in the 1986 movie “Blood Red.” Her first lead role was in 1988 in “Mystic Pizza,” but her career really took off with ‘Steel Magnolias” the following year, playing bride-to-be Shelby Eatenton. The movie earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Her career (and romantic life) was put in the spotlight
After starring in multiple famous films in the 80s, she kept gaining traction in the 90s with movies like “Pretty Woman,” “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” and “Stepmom.” However, her whirlwind relationship and marriage to actor and singer Lyle Lovett overshadowed her burgeoning career. Less than two years later, they divorced. After their breakup, Roberts focused on climbing the ranks in Hollywood, finishing the 90s with “Notting Hill” and “Runaway Bride.” In 2005, she launched her production company, Shoelace Productions, and the same year, stole the hearts of viewers in “Erin Brockovich,” which earned her a 2001 Golden Globe and an Oscar for Best Actress.
A life-changing romance with Danny Moder
Roberts met Danny Moder on the set of “The Mexican,” where Moder was working as a cameraman. Roberts was starring with Brad Pitt in the movie, but the cameraman caught her eye, and the two had undeniable chemistry despite being in relationships with other people when they first met. Moder was married to Vera Steimberg, and Roberts was dating Benjamin Bratt. They both split from their partners at the time and immediately started dating.
They got married shortly after Moder finalized his divorce in 2002. Unfortunately, their love story was in the press for affair allegations, with tabloids calling Roberts a “homewrecker.” However, Julia Roberts has zero regrets about falling in love with Moder, saying that when they met, it felt like a “seismic shift.” She told the Goop Podcast, “That was the first, like, my life will never be the same in the most incredible, indescribable way … he truly, to this day, to this minute, is just my favorite human.
From Hollywood’s brightest star to a dedicated mom
After dealing with a failed marriage and relationships, the height of fame and fortune, and critical acclaim that she earned from her years of hard work as an actor, Julia Roberts thought it couldn’t get any better. However, she started a new chapter when she had her first baby with Danny Moder. She gave birth to twins in 2004: daughter Hazel Patricia Moder and son Phinnaeus Walter Moder. They had their third child, Henry, in 2007, and even through motherhood, she continued working on films like “Closer,” “Charlotte’s Web,” and “Duplicity.”
Julia Roberts is living the dream as a successful actor, loving wife, and mother of three
Some people say that women can’t have it all, and Julia Roberts is proving that’s truly a myth. She has a career packed with unforgettable moments, and beyond the mark that this legend has forever left on Hollywood, she’s also managed to carve out a highly fulfilling personal life for herself. She still continues to take compelling roles and perform in hard hitters like “Homecoming,” but has shifted her focus to family life in recent years, becoming more selective with the jobs she takes on so that she can spend as much time with her kids and husband as possible.
In 2019, she told Marie Claire, “I’m more careful about the films I choose because we have a family, and it’s not just about me. My husband and I try not to work at the same time. It can happen, but… There are my projects, Danny’s projects, the children’s school planning, it’s all about scheduling.”