Julia Roberts

Julia Fiona Roberts was born on October 28, 1967, in Smyrna, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta,{{cite news |last1=Page |first1=Sydney |title=It's true, Martin Luther King Jr. paid the hospital bill when actress Julia Roberts was born |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/10/31/julia-roberts-mlk-birth-hospital/ |newspaper=Washington Post |publisher=Washington Post Inc. |access-date=1 November 2022 |archive-date=November 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101011659/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/10/31/julia-roberts-mlk-birth-hospital/ |url-status=live }} to Betty Lou Bredemus and Walter Grady Roberts.{{cite news|last=Taylor|first=Clarke|title=Eric Roberts: His 'Star 80' Shines|work=Los Angeles Times|date=November 24, 1983|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/671674182.html?dids=671674182:671674182&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Nov+24%2C+1983&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=ERIC+ROBERTS%3A+HIS+'STAR+80'+SHINES&pqatl=google|access-date=December 16, 2009|archive-date=January 6, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106164710/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/671674182.html?dids=671674182%3A671674182&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS%3AAI&type=historic&date=Nov+24%2C+1983&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=ERIC+ROBERTS%3A+HIS+%27STAR+80%27+SHINES&pqatl=google|url-status=dead}} She is of English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, German, and Swedish descent.{{cite web |title=Nättidningen RÖTTER – för dig som släktforskar! (Julia Roberts) |url=http://www.genealogi.se/julia.htm |website=genealogi.se |access-date=April 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970331004946/http://www.genealogi.se/julia.htm |archive-date=March 31, 1997 |language=sv}}{{cite web |last=Smolenyak |first=Megan |title=Julia Roberts Isn't a Roberts |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/julia-roberts-isnt-a-robe_b_828778 |website=HuffPost |access-date=April 7, 2019 |date=February 27, 2011 |archive-date=April 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407145246/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/julia-roberts-isnt-a-robe_b_828778 |url-status=live }} Her father was a Baptist, her mother Catholic.{{cite news|last=Oh|first=Eunice|url=https://people.com/celebrity/why-julia-roberts-refuses-to-get-botox/|title=Why Julia Roberts Refuses to Get Botox|date=August 4, 2010|work=People|access-date=February 24, 2013|archive-date=December 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220141603/http://people.com/celebrity/why-julia-roberts-refuses-to-get-botox/|url-status=live}} Roberts was raised Catholic.{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/aug/18/eat-pray-love-star-julia-roberts-happy-as-is/|title='Eat Pray Love' star Julia Roberts happy as is|agency=Associated Press|work=The Washington Times|date=August 18, 2010|quote=Julia, who was raised a Catholic...|access-date=September 12, 2010|first=Eric|last=Talmadge|archive-date=August 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190801175218/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/aug/18/eat-pray-love-star-julia-roberts-happy-as-is/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/18/hindu-julia-roberts-im-do_n_685893.html|title=Hindu Julia Roberts: I'm Done Talking About Religion|work=Huffington Post|location=USA|date=August 18, 2010|access-date=September 16, 2010|first=Katherine|last=Thomson|archive-date=August 25, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100825054236/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/18/hindu-julia-roberts-im-do_n_685893.html|url-status=live}} Her older brother Eric Roberts (b. 1956), from whom she was estranged for several years until 2004, older sister Lisa Roberts Gillan (b. 1965), and niece Emma Roberts, are also actors. She also had a younger half-sister named Nancy Motes.{{Cite web |date=2014-04-21 |title=Julia Roberts Breaks Silence on Half Sister Nancy Motes' Death |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/julia-roberts-breaks-silence-sister-697948/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401075007/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/julia-roberts-breaks-silence-sister-697948/ |archive-date=2023-04-01 |access-date=2024-05-30 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}}

Roberts's parents, one-time actors and playwrights, met while performing in theatrical productions for the United States Armed Forces. They later co-founded the Atlanta Actors and Writers Workshop{{Cite news |last=Treisman |first=Rachel |date=2022-11-02 |title=Martin Luther King Jr. paid the bill for Julia Roberts' birth. Here's the backstory |work=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/11/01/1133121228/julia-roberts-mlk-birth |access-date=2022-11-07 |archive-date=November 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221107130026/https://www.npr.org/2022/11/01/1133121228/julia-roberts-mlk-birth |url-status=live }} in Atlanta, off Juniper Street in Midtown. They ran a children's acting school in Decatur, Georgia, while they were expecting Julia. The children of Coretta and Martin Luther King Jr. attended the school; Walter Roberts served as acting coach for their daughter, Yolanda.{{cite book |editor=Smith, Jessie Carney |title=Notable Black American Women: Book 2 |publisher=VNR AG |year=1996 |isbn=9780810391772 |page=385 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/notableblackamer00jess }} In gratitude for his service running the only racially integrated theater troupe in the region and due to the Roberts's financial difficulties,{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/nov/01/julia-roberts-martin-luther-king-jr-connection|title=The unlikely bond between Julia Roberts and Martin Luther King Jr|last=Salam|first=Erum|newspaper=The Guardian|date=2022-11-01|access-date=2022-11-01|archive-date=November 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102021417/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/nov/01/julia-roberts-martin-luther-king-jr-connection|url-status=live}} Coretta King paid the Roberts's hospital bill when Julia was born.{{cite news |title=Julia Roberts{{nbsp}}– Coretta Scott King was Julia Roberts's Fairy Godmother |publisher=Contact Music |date=February 10, 2006 |url=http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/story/coretta-scott-king-was-julia-roberts-fairy-godmother_10_02_2006 |access-date=December 16, 2009 |archive-date=February 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110225121115/http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/story/coretta-scott-king-was-julia-roberts-fairy-godmother_10_02_2006 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=2022-11-01 |title=The unlikely bond between Julia Roberts and Martin Luther King Jr |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/nov/01/julia-roberts-martin-luther-king-jr-connection |access-date=2022-11-02 |newspaper=The Guardian |archive-date=November 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102021417/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/nov/01/julia-roberts-martin-luther-king-jr-connection |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=https://time.com/6555360/martin-luther-king-jr-surprising-facts/|author=Popli, Nik|magazine=Time|title=10 Surprising Facts About Martin Luther King Jr.|url-status=live|date=January 14, 2024|access-date=January 16, 2024|archive-date=January 16, 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240116161636/https://time.com/6555360/martin-luther-king-jr-surprising-facts/}}

Roberts's parents married in 1955. Her mother filed for divorce in 1971; the divorce was finalized in early 1972.Julia: Her Life, James Spada. St Martin's Press, New York, p. 32 From 1972, Roberts lived in Smyrna, Georgia, where she attended Fitzhugh Lee Elementary School, Griffin Middle School, and Campbell High School.[http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1517 "Julia Roberts."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116234419/http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1517 |date=January 16, 2013 }} The New Georgia Encyclopedia In 1972, her mother married Michael Motes, who was abusive and often unemployed; Roberts despised him.{{cite news |last=Bucktin |first=Christopher |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/picture-exclusive-julia-roberts-smiles-2800516 |title=Picture exclusive: Julia Roberts smiles through the terror of abusive stepfather she 'feared and despised' |work=Daily Mirror |date=November 17, 2013 |access-date=January 2, 2014 |archive-date=March 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200309194736/https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/picture-exclusive-julia-roberts-smiles-2800516 |url-status=live }} The couple had a daughter, Nancy, who died at 37 on February 9, 2014, of an apparent drug overdose.{{cite news | url = http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/julia-roberts-half-sister-found-dead-apparent-overdose-weeks-angry-tweets-article-1.1609292 | title= Julia Roberts' half-sister Nancy Motes found dead from reported suicide: Family says cause was 'apparent drug overdose' | first= Nancy | last= Dillon |author2=Cristina Everett | work = Daily News | location = New York City| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140804143551/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/julia-roberts-half-sister-found-dead-apparent-overdose-weeks-angry-tweets-article-1.1609292 | access-date= February 10, 2014| archive-date= August 4, 2014 }} The marriage ended in 1983, with Betty Lou divorcing Motes on cruelty grounds; she had stated that marrying him was the biggest mistake of her life. Roberts's own father died of cancer when she was ten.[https://web.archive.org/web/20090704060240/http://www.info2india.com/hollywood/celebrity/julia-roberts.html Profile] Info 2 India

Roberts wanted to be a veterinarian as a child.{{cite web|title=About Julia Roberts|url=https://movies.yahoo.com/person/julia-roberts/biography.html|work=Yahoo movies|access-date=July 14, 2012|archive-date=March 13, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313083316/https://movies.yahoo.com/person/julia-roberts/biography.html|url-status=live}} She played the clarinet in her school band.{{cite web|title=About Julia Roberts|url=http://www.movieactors.com/superstars/julia_roberts.htm|work=www.movieactors.com|access-date=July 14, 2012|archive-date=January 17, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117004935/http://www.movieactors.com/superstars/julia_roberts.htm|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Julia Roberts: I Wasn't Popular In High School, I Coasted By|url=https://www.accessonline.com/articles/julia-roberts-i-wasnt-popular-in-high-school-i-coasted-by-108116|work=Access Online|date=October 10, 2011|access-date=October 21, 2019|archive-date=October 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021061818/https://www.accessonline.com/articles/julia-roberts-i-wasnt-popular-in-high-school-i-coasted-by-108116|url-status=live}} After graduating from Smyrna's Campbell High School, she headed to New York City to pursue a career in acting. Once there, she signed with the Click Modeling Agency and enrolled in acting classes.{{cite web|title=Julia Roberts|url=http://www.filmmakers.com/artists/juliaroberts/links/|work=filmmakers.com|access-date=July 14, 2012|archive-date=January 17, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117004938/http://www.filmmakers.com/artists/juliaroberts/links/|url-status=live}}

Following her first television appearance as a juvenile rape victim in the first season of the series Crime Story, with Dennis Farina, in the episode "The Survivor", broadcast on February 13, 1987, Roberts made her big screen debut in the dramedy Satisfaction (1988), alongside Liam Neeson and Justine Bateman, as a band member looking for a summer gig. (She had filmed a small role in 1987 opposite her brother Eric, in Blood Red, though she only had two words of dialogue, and it was not released until 1989.) In 1988, Roberts had a role in the fourth-season finale of Miami Vice and her first critical success with moviegoers came with the independent romantic comedy Mystic Pizza,Stated on Inside the Actors Studio, 1997 in which she played a Portuguese-American teenage girl working as a waitress at a pizza parlor. Roger Ebert found Roberts to be a "major beauty with a fierce energy" and observed that the film "may someday become known for the movie stars it showcased back before they became stars. All of the young actors in this movie have genuine gifts".{{cite web |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/mystic-pizza-1988 |title=Mystic Pizza |website=rogerebert.com |date=October 21, 1998 |access-date=December 21, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-date=March 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150310123116/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/mystic-pizza-1988 }}

In Steel Magnolias (1989), a film adaptation of Robert Harling's 1987 play of the same name, Roberts starred as a young bride with diabetes, alongside Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine and Daryl Hannah. The filmmakers were looking at both Laura Dern and Winona Ryder when the casting director insisted they see Roberts, who was then filming Mystic Pizza.{{cite web |url=https://www.southernliving.com/news/steel-magnolias-robert-harling-true-story |title=Julia Roberts Wasn't the Original Actor Cast as Shelby in Steel Magnolias |work=Southern Living |first=Rebecca Angel |last=Baer |date=May 24, 2019 |access-date=December 21, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-date=December 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211219060905/https://www.southernliving.com/news/steel-magnolias-robert-harling-true-story }} Harling stated: "She walked into the room and that smile lit everything up and I said 'that's my sister', so she joined the party and she was magnificent". Director Herbert Ross was notoriously tough on newcomer Roberts, with Sally Field admitting that he "went after Julia with a vengeance. This was pretty much her first big film". Nevertheless, the film was a critical and commercial darling when it was released,{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/steel_magnolias |title=Steel Magnolias |website=Rotten Tomatoes |date=November 15, 1989 |access-date=December 21, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-date=November 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118045953/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/steel_magnolias }} and Roberts received both her first Academy Award nomination (as Best Supporting Actress) and first Golden Globe Award win (Best Supporting Actress) Motion Picture for her performance.

Catapulting on her 1989 Academy Award nomination, Roberts gained further notice from worldwide audiences when she starred with Richard Gere in the Cinderella–Pygmalionesque story, Pretty Woman, in 1990, playing an assertive freelance hooker with a heart of gold. Roberts won the role after Michelle Pfeiffer, Molly Ringwald, Meg Ryan, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Karen Allen, and Daryl Hannah (her co-star in Steel Magnolias) turned it down.{{cite news | url=http://www.totalfilm.com/reviews/cinema/pretty-woman-20th-anniversary-re-release | title=Pretty Woman: 20th anniversary re-release | first=Jonathan | last=Crocker | work=Total Film | publisher=Future Publishing Limited | date=January 25, 2010 | access-date=July 20, 2011 | archive-date=May 11, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511151029/http://www.totalfilm.com/reviews/cinema/pretty-woman-20th-anniversary-re-release | url-status=live }} The role also earned her a second Oscar nomination, this time as Best Actress, and second Golden Globe Award win, as Best Actress – Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy). She was paid $300,000 for the part.{{cite web|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/people/JROBE.php|title=Julia Roberts|access-date=July 23, 2011|publisher=Nash Information Services, LLC|archive-date=August 26, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826074523/http://the-numbers.com/people/JROBE.php|url-status=live}} Pretty Woman saw the highest number of ticket sales in the U.S. ever for a romantic comedy,{{cite news | url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/9158072/Richard-Gere-Pretty-Woman-a-silly-romantic-comedy.html | title= Richard Gere: Pretty Woman a 'Silly Romantic Comedy' | first= Rosa | last= Prince | work= The Daily Telegraph | date= March 21, 2012 | location= London | access-date= October 6, 2018 | archive-date= June 13, 2018 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180613125145/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/9158072/Richard-Gere-Pretty-Woman-a-silly-romantic-comedy.html | url-status= live }} and made $463.4{{nbsp}}million worldwide.{{Mojo title | id=prettywoman | title=Pretty Woman}}. The red dress Roberts wore in the film has been considered one of the most famous gowns in cinema.{{cite web |title=20 Greatest Movie Dresses of All Timce |url=https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/g1398/greatest-movie-dresses-ever/ |website=Marie Claire |access-date=28 October 2021 |archive-date=October 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028031825/https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/g1398/greatest-movie-dresses-ever/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Reyand |first1=Florain |title=The secrets behind Julia Roberts' red dress in Pretty Woman |url=https://www.vogue.fr/fashion-culture/article/the-secrets-behind-julia-roberts-red-dress-in-pretty-woman |website=Vogue Paris |date=August 14, 2020 |access-date=October 28, 2021 |archive-date=October 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028031816/https://www.vogue.fr/fashion-culture/article/the-secrets-behind-julia-roberts-red-dress-in-pretty-woman |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Goldstone |first1=Penny |title=This legendary fashion moment from Pretty Woman almost never was |url=https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/fashion/pretty-woman-dress-never-happened-674129 |website=Marie Claire UK |date=November 14, 2019 |access-date=28 October 2021 |archive-date=October 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028031832/https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/fashion/pretty-woman-dress-never-happened-674129 |url-status=live }}

File:JuliaRoberts90.jpg]]

Her next film release following Pretty Woman was Joel Schumacher's supernatural thriller Flatliners (also 1990), in which Roberts starred as one of five students conducting clandestine experiments that produce near-death experiences. The production was met with a polarized critical reception, but made a profit at the box office and has since been considered a cult film.{{cite web|url=http://www.cinemablend.com/news/1540549/the-weird-reason-the-new-flatliners-isnt-really-a-remake|title=The Weird Reason The New Flatliners Isn't Really A Remake|date=1 August 2016|access-date=January 16, 2022|archive-date=January 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220116012906/https://www.cinemablend.com/news/1540549/the-weird-reason-the-new-flatliners-isnt-really-a-remake|url-status=live}} In 1991, Roberts played a battered wife attempting to begin a new life in Iowa in the thriller Sleeping with the Enemy, a winged, six-inch-tall tomboyish Tinkerbell in Steven Spielberg's fantasy film Hook and an outgoing yet cautious nurse in her second collaboration with director Joel Schumacher, the romance drama Dying Young. Although negative reviews greeted her 1991 outings, Sleeping with the Enemy grossed $175 million,[http://admin.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=sleepingwiththeenemy.htm Sleeping with the Enemy at Box Office Mojo] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708090044/http://admin.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=sleepingwiththeenemy.htm |date=2011-07-08 }} Hook $300.9 million{{Mojo title | id=hook | title=Hook}} and Dying Young $82.3 million{{Mojo title | id=dyingyoung | title=Dying Young}}. globally.

Roberts took a two-year hiatus from the screen, during which her only appearance in a film was a cameo in Robert Altman's The Player (1992). In early 1993, she was the subject of a People magazine cover story asking, "What Happened to Julia Roberts?".{{cite web |url=http://www.people.com/people/julia_roberts/biography |title=People Magazine – Celebrity Central/Top 25 Celebs, Julia Roberts, biography |work=People |access-date=October 12, 2012 |archive-date=July 28, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120728213904/http://www.people.com/people/julia_roberts/biography |url-status=live }} Roberts starred with Denzel Washington in the thriller The Pelican Brief (1993), based on John Grisham's 1992 novel of the same name. In it, she played a young law student who uncovers a conspiracy, putting herself and others in danger. The film was a commercial success, grossing $195.2 million worldwide.{{cite news | title='Pelican' Soars at the Box Office Movies: The mystery, with Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington, takes in more than $16 million. 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' 'Schindler's List' also do well. | work=Los Angeles Times | date=December 20, 1993 | first=David J. | last=Fox | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-12-20-ca-3857-story.html | access-date=November 30, 2010 | archive-date=October 3, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201003201300/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-12-20-ca-3857-story.html | url-status=live }}{{cite news | title='Mrs. Doubtfire,' 'Pelican Brief' propel final week and 'Jurassic Park' chews up the competition as industry receipts hit $5.2 billion. | work=Los Angeles Times | date=January 3, 1994 | first=David J. | last=Fox | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-01-03-ca-8097-story.html | access-date=October 26, 2010 | archive-date=September 24, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090924151628/http://articles.latimes.com/1994-01-03/entertainment/ca-8097_1_jurassic-park | url-status=live }} None of her next film releases —I Love Trouble (1994), Prêt-à-Porter (1994) and Something to Talk About (1995)— were particularly well received by critics nor big box office draws.{{Rotten Tomatoes | id=m/i_love_trouble | title=I Love Trouble}}.{{Mojo title | id=readytowear | title=Ready to Wear}}.{{Rotten Tomatoes | id=m/something_to_talk_about | title=Something to Talk About}}. In 1996, she guest-starred in the second season of Friends (episode 13, "The One After the Superbowl"),{{cite news | title=CBS Will Revisit 'Knots Landing' In A Miniseries | last=Dubin | first=Murray | date=January 9, 1996 | work=The Philadelphia Inquirer | page=D02}} and appeared with Liam Neeson in the historical drama Michael Collins, portraying Kitty Kiernan, the fiancée of the assassinated Irish revolutionary leader. Stephen Frears' Mary Reilly, her other 1996 film, was a critical and commercial failure.{{Rotten Tomatoes | id=m/mary_reilly | title=Mary Reilly}}.{{Mojo title | id=maryreilly | title=Mary Reilly}}.

By the late 1990s, Roberts enjoyed renewed success in the romantic comedy genre. In P. J. Hogan's My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), she starred opposite Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz and Rupert Everett, as a food critic who realizes she's in love with her best friend and tries to win him back after he decides to marry someone else. Roberts' performance was highly praised.{{Cite news |last=Odman |first=Sydney |date=June 20, 2018 |title=The Cast of 'My Best Friend's Wedding,' Then and Now |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/julia-roberts-cast-my-best-friends-wedding-now-1121064/julia-roberts-2/ |access-date=March 19, 2025 |work=The Hollywood Reporter}} Considered to be one of the best romantic comedies of all time, Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an approval rating of 73% based on 59 reviews, with the critical consensus reading, "Thanks to a charming performance from Julia Roberts and a subversive spin on the genre, My Best Friend's Wedding is a refreshingly entertaining romantic comedy."{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/my_best_friends_wedding |title=My Best Friend{{'}}s Wedding (1997) |work=Rotten Tomatoes |date=June 20, 1997 |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=February 27, 2018 |archive-date=November 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171127042844/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/my_best_friends_wedding/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news | url=http://www.vogue.com/13352768/15-best-romantic-comedies/ | title=The 15 Best Romantic Comedies of All Time | work=Vogue | date=September 15, 2015 | first=Jessie | last=Heyman | access-date=June 16, 2016 | archive-date=June 12, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160612231916/http://www.vogue.com/13352768/15-best-romantic-comedies | url-status=live }}{{cite news | url=http://www.livingly.com/Friendship/articles/yT8mSNk7a6-/My+Best+Friend+Wedding+Taught+Life | title=What 'My Best Friend's Wedding' Taught Us About Life | work=Livingly Media | date=August 12, 2015 | first=Kimia | last=Madani | access-date=June 16, 2016 | archive-date=May 6, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506113526/http://www.livingly.com/Friendship/articles/yT8mSNk7a6-/My+Best+Friend+Wedding+Taught+Life | url-status=live }} The film was a global box-office hit, earning $299.3 million.{{cite web | url=https://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?view2=worldwide&yr=1997&p=.htm | title=1997 Worldwide Grosses | website=Box Office Mojo | access-date=April 17, 2020 | archive-date=July 11, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190711093937/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?view2=worldwide&yr=1997&p=.htm | url-status=live }} In her next film, Richard Donner's political thriller Conspiracy Theory (1997), Roberts starred with Mel Gibson as a Justice Department attorney. Mick LaSalle of San Francisco Chronicle stated: "When all else fails, there are still the stars to look at—Roberts, who actually manages to do some fine acting, and Gibson, whose likability must be a sturdy thing indeed."{{cite web |last=LaSalle |first=Mick |date=August 8, 1997 |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1997/08/08/DD20603.DTL |title=A Shaky Theory |website=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=January 16, 2022 |archive-date=February 1, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090201022735/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1997/08/08/DD20603.DTL |url-status=live }} The film, nevertheless, grossed a respectable $137 million.{{mojo title|id=conspiracytheory |title=Conspiracy Theory}} In 1998, Roberts appeared on the television series Sesame Street opposite the character Elmo, and starred in the drama Stepmom, alongside Susan Sarandon,{{Rotten Tomatoes | id=stepmom | title=Stepmom}}. revolving around the complicated relationship between a terminally-ill mother and the future stepmother of her children. While reviews were mixed-to-positive, the film made $159.7 million worldwide.{{Mojo title | id=stepmom | title=Stepmom}}.

Roberts paired with Hugh Grant for Notting Hill (1999), portraying a famous actress who falls in love with a struggling book store owner. The film displaced Four Weddings and a Funeral as the biggest British hit in the history of cinema, with earnings equalling $363{{nbsp}}million worldwide.{{Mojo title | id=nottinghill | title=Notting Hill}}. An exemplar of modern romantic comedies in mainstream culture, the film was also received well by critics. CNN reviewer Paul Clinton called Roberts "the queen of the romantic comedy [whose] reign continues", and remarked: "Notting Hill stands alone as another funny and heartwarming story about love against all odds."{{cite news | url=http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9905/27/review.notting.hill/ | title=Review: Julia, Hugh a perfect match for 'Notting Hill' | access-date=May 21, 2007 | date=May 27, 1999 | last=Clinton | first=Paul | publisher=CNN | archive-date=April 26, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070426152120/http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9905/27/review.notting.hill/ | url-status=live }} In 1999, she also reunited with Richard Gere and Garry Marshall for Runaway Bride, in which she played a woman who has left a string of fiancés at the altar. Despite mixed reviews,{{cite news | title=It Looked Good on Paper | first=Kenneth | last=Turan | author-link=Kenneth Turan | work=Los Angeles Times | date=July 30, 1999 | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jul-30-ca-60883-story.html | access-date=June 2, 2012 | archive-date=March 4, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304062828/http://articles.latimes.com/1999/jul/30/entertainment/ca-60883 | url-status=live }}{{cite news | title=Review: Roberts runs away with hearts in Runaway Bride | first=Paul | last=Clinton | publisher=CNN | date=July 29, 1999 | url=http://articles.cnn.com/1999-07-29/entertainment/9907_29_review.runawaybride_1_gere-and-roberts-maggie-carpenter-sara-parriott?_s=PM:SHOWBIZ | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130119220039/http://articles.cnn.com/1999-07-29/entertainment/9907_29_review.runawaybride_1_gere-and-roberts-maggie-carpenter-sara-parriott?_s=PM:SHOWBIZ | url-status=dead | archive-date=January 19, 2013 | access-date=June 2, 2012}}{{cite news | title=Runaway Bride | first=Roger | last=Ebert | author-link=Roger Ebert | work=Chicago Sun Times | date=July 30, 1999 | url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19990730/REVIEWS/907300301/1023 | access-date=June 2, 2012 | archive-date=January 25, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100125080152/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19990730%2FREVIEWS%2F907300301%2F1023 | url-status=dead }}{{cite news | title=FILM REVIEW: Pretty Woman Is Back, But Now She's Cautious | first=Janet | last=Maslin | author-link=Janet Maslin | work=The New York Times | date=July 30, 1999 | url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9902E0DC1431F933A05754C0A96F958260 | access-date=June 2, 2012 | archive-date=October 16, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016215337/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9902E0DC1431F933A05754C0A96F958260 | url-status=live }} Runaway Bride was another financial success, grossing $309.4{{nbsp}}million around the globe.{{Mojo title | id=runawaybride | title=Runaway Bride}}. Roberts was a guest star in "Empire", a Season 9 episode of the television series Law & Order, with regular cast member Benjamin Bratt, who at the time, was her boyfriend. Her performance earned her a nomination for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.{{cite web|url=http://www.emmys.com/celebrities/julia-roberts|title=Julia Roberts|access-date=December 29, 2011|publisher=Emmys.com|archive-date=January 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120084954/http://www.emmys.com/celebrities/julia-roberts|url-status=live}}

{{clear}}

Roberts became the first actress to be paid $20 million for a film,{{cite web|url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/julia-roberts-collects-20-million-for-erin-brockovich|title=Julia Roberts collects $20 million for Erin Brockovich|date=August 30, 2010 |access-date=October 6, 2018|archive-date=December 31, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181231074208/https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/julia-roberts-collects-20-million-for-erin-brockovich|url-status=live}} when she took on the role of real-life environmental activist Erin Brockovich in her fight against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) of California, in Erin Brockovich (2000). Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote, "Roberts shows the emotional toll on Erin as she tries to stay responsible to her children and to a job that has provided her with a first taste of self-esteem",{{cite news |last=Travers |first=Peter |date=February 9, 2001 |title=Erin Brockovich |magazine=Rolling Stone |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/5947601/review/5947602/erin_brockovich |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071105231724/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/5947601/review/5947602/erin_brockovich |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 5, 2007 |access-date=December 5, 2008}} while Entertainment Weekly critic Owen Gleiberman felt that it was a "delight to watch Roberts, with her flirtatious sparkle and undertow of melancholy".{{cite magazine |last=Gleiberman |first=Owen |date=March 24, 2000 |title=Erin Brockovich |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |url=https://ew.com/article/2000/03/24/erin-brockovich-4/ |access-date=October 21, 2019 |archive-date=October 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021061816/https://ew.com/article/2000/03/24/erin-brockovich-4/ |url-status=live }} Erin Brockovich made $256.3 million worldwide,{{Mojo title | id=erinbrockovich | title=Erin Brockovich}} and earned Roberts the Academy Award for Best Actress, among numerous other accolades. In 2000, she also became the first actress to make The Hollywood Reporter{{'}}s list of the 50 most influential women in show business since the list had begun in 1992, and her Shoelace Productions company received a deal with Joe Roth.{{Cite web|last=Lyons|first=Charles|date=2000-02-18|title=Roth signs first star: Roberts|url=https://variety.com/2000/film/news/roth-signs-first-star-roberts-1117776577/|access-date=2020-10-18|website=Variety|archive-date=October 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018191555/https://variety.com/2000/film/news/roth-signs-first-star-roberts-1117776577/|url-status=live}}

Her first film following Erin Brockovich was the road gangster comedy The Mexican (2001), giving her a chance to work with long-time friend Brad Pitt. The film's script was originally intended to be filmed as an independent production without major motion picture stars, but Roberts and Pitt, who had for some time been looking for a project they could do together, learned about it and decided to sign on. Though advertised as a typical romantic comedy star vehicle, the film does not focus solely on the actors' relationship and the two shared relatively little screen time together. The Mexican earned $66.8 million in North America. In Joe Roth's romantic comedy America's Sweethearts (2001), Roberts starred as the once-overweight sister and assistant of a Hollywood actress, along with Billy Crystal, John Cusack, and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Critics felt that despite its famous cast, the production lacked "sympathetic characters" and was "only funny in spurts."{{Rotten Tomatoes | id=m/americas_sweethearts | title=America's Sweethearts}} A commercial success, it grossed over $138 million worldwide, however.{{Mojo title | id=americassweethearts | title=America's Sweethearts}} In her last film released in 2001, Roberts teamed with Erin Brockovich director Steven Soderbergh for Ocean's Eleven, a remake of the 1960 film of the same name, featuring an ensemble cast including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon. Roberts played Tess Ocean, the ex-wife of leader Danny Ocean (Clooney), originally played by Angie Dickinson. A success with critics and at the box office alike, Ocean's Eleven became the fifth highest-grossing film of the year with a total of $450 million worldwide.{{Mojo title | id=oceanseleven | title=Ocean's Eleven}}

File:Julia_Roberts_in_May_2002.jpg

Roberts received a record $25 million, the highest ever earned by an actress at that time, to portray a forward-thinking art history professor at Wellesley College in 1953, in Mike Newell's drama Mona Lisa Smile.{{cite news| url = https://www.forbes.com/2007/01/17/richest-women-entertainment-tech-media-cz_lg_richwomen07_0118womenstars_slide_9.html| title = The 20 Richest Women in Entertainment| work = Forbes| date = January 17, 2007| access-date = July 15, 2011| first1 = Lea| last1 = Goldman| first2 = Kiri| last2 = Blakeley| archive-date = March 13, 2012| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120313012300/http://www.forbes.com/2007/01/17/richest-women-entertainment-tech-media-cz_lg_richwomen07_0118womenstars_slide_9.html| url-status = live}} The film garnered largely lukewarm reviews by critics, who found it "predictable and safe", but made over $141 million in theaters.{{Rotten Tomatoes | id=m/mona_lisa_smile | title=Mona Lisa Smile}} In 2004, Roberts replaced Cate Blanchett in the role of an American photographer for Mike Nichols's film Closer, a romantic drama written by Patrick Marber, based on his 1997 play of the same name,{{cite web | first=Andrew | last=Gans | url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/julia-roberts-may-replace-cate-blanchett-in-closer-film-115389 | title=Julia Roberts May Replace Cate Blanchett in Closer Film | access-date=April 3, 2013 | date=September 24, 2003 | work=Playbill | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101050656/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/julia-roberts-may-replace-cate-blanchett-in-closer-film-115389 | archive-date=January 1, 2016}} co-starring Jude Law, Natalie Portman and Clive Owen. She next reprised the role of Tess Ocean in Ocean's Twelve, which was deliberately much more unconventional than the first film, epitomized by a sequence in which Roberts's character impersonates the real-life Julia Roberts, due to what the film's characters believe is their strong resemblance.{{cite news |title=Steven Soderbergh Doesn't Care If You Like 'Ocean's 12,' But Don't Hate It for the Wrong Reason |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/10/steven-soderbergh-oceans-12_n_6289914.html |first=Christopher |last=Rosen |date=December 10, 2014 |work=Huffington Post |access-date=April 17, 2020 |archive-date=October 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019090230/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/10/steven-soderbergh-oceans-12_n_6289914.html |url-status=live }} Though less well reviewed than Eleven, the film became another major success at the box office, with a gross of $363 million worldwide.{{Mojo title | id=oceanstwelve | title=Ocean's Twelve}}{{cite news | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/clooney-dives-into-oceans-13/ | work=CBS News | title=Clooney Dives Into 'Ocean's 13' | first=Melissa | last=McNamara | date=March 28, 2006 | access-date=April 17, 2020 | archive-date=October 16, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016214614/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/28/entertainment/main1444841.shtml | url-status=live }} In 2005, she was featured in the music video for the single "Dreamgirl" by the Dave Matthews Band. It was her first music video appearance.{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna8988202|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110925215656/http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/8988202/ns/today-entertainment/t/julia-becomes-dave-matthews-dreamgirl/|url-status=live|archive-date=September 25, 2011|title=Julia becomes Dave Matthews' 'Dreamgirl': Band gets Roberts to appear in her first-ever music video|access-date=July 23, 2011|date=August 17, 2005|work=Access Hollywood|publisher=MSNBC}} Roberts appeared in The Hollywood Reporter's list of the 10 highest-paid actresses every year from 2002 (when the magazine began compiling its list) to 2005.

In 2006, Roberts voiced a nurse ant in The Ant Bully and a barn spider in Charlotte's Web.{{cite news|last1=Scott|first1=A. O.|title='The Ant Bully,' in Which the Bugs Sound Like Movie Stars|newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/28/movies/28ant.html|access-date=November 27, 2015|agency=The New York Times|date=July 28, 2006|archive-date=June 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210622203653/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/28/movies/28ant.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last1=Scott|first1=A. O.|title=White's Country Critters, Still Humble|newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/15/movies/15char.html|access-date=November 27, 2015|agency=The New York Times|date=December 15, 2006|archive-date=April 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401232955/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/15/movies/15char.html|url-status=live}} She made her Broadway debut on April 19, 2006, as Nan in a revival of Richard Greenberg's 1997 play Three Days of Rain opposite Bradley Cooper and Paul Rudd. Although the play grossed nearly $1{{nbsp}}million in ticket sales during its first week{{cite news |first=Elysa |last=Gardner |title=Julia rains money on Broadway |date=April 13, 2006 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/theater/news/2006-04-12-roberts-broadway_x.htm |work=USA Today |access-date=July 6, 2009 |archive-date=May 1, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080501115009/http://www.usatoday.com/life/theater/news/2006-04-12-roberts-broadway_x.htm |url-status=live }} and was a commercial success throughout its limited run, her performance drew criticism. Ben Brantley of The New York Times described Roberts as being fraught with "self-consciousness (especially in the first act) [and] only glancingly acquainted with the two characters she plays."{{cite news |first=Ben |last=Brantley |title=Enough Said About 'Three Days of Rain.' Let's Talk Julia Roberts! |date=April 20, 2006 |url=http://theater2.nytimes.com/2006/04/20/theater/reviews/20rain.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=July 6, 2009 |archive-date=February 12, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212131620/http://theater2.nytimes.com/2006/04/20/theater/reviews/20rain.html |url-status=live }} Brantley also criticized the overall production, writing that "it's almost impossible to discern its artistic virtues from this wooden and splintered interpretation, directed by Joe Mantello." Writing in the New York Post, Clive Barnes declared, "Hated the play. To be sadly honest, even hated her. At least I liked the rain—even if three days of it can seem an eternity."{{cite news | first=Clive | last=Barnes | author-link=Clive Barnes | url=https://nypost.com/2006/04/20/julias-3-dull-days-of-rain-a-soggy-eternity/ | title=Julia's 3 Dull Days of Rain a Soggy Eternity | work=New York Post | date=April 20, 2006 | access-date=November 16, 2018 | archive-date=November 17, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117105106/https://nypost.com/2006/04/20/julias-3-dull-days-of-rain-a-soggy-eternity/ | url-status=live }} In Mike Nichols' biographical drama Charlie Wilson's War (2007), Roberts starred as socialite Joanne Herring, the love interest of Democratic Texas Congressman Charles Wilson, opposite Tom Hanks and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The film received considerable acclaim,{{Rotten Tomatoes | id=m/charlie_wilsons_war | title=Charlie Wilson's War}} made $119.5 million worldwide,{{Cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=charliewilsonswar.htm|title=Charlie Wilson's War|access-date=January 6, 2022|archive-date=June 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190609125522/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=charliewilsonswar.htm|url-status=live}} and earned Roberts her sixth Golden Globe nomination.{{cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/julia-roberts|title=Julia Roberts|website=www.goldenglobes.com|access-date=October 5, 2018|archive-date=October 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181006035212/https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/julia-roberts|url-status=live}}

The independent drama Fireflies in the Garden, in which Roberts played a mother whose death sets the story in motion, was screened at the 2008 Berlin International Film Festival before being shown in European cinemas—it did not get a North American release until 2011. Roberts played a CIA agent collaborating with another spy to carry out a complicated con, opposite Clive Owen, in the comic thriller Duplicity (2009).{{cite magazine|first=Dana|last=Stevens|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/movies/2009/03/pretty_confusing.html|title=Pretty Confusing|magazine=Slate|date=March 19, 2009|access-date=February 19, 2009|archive-date=March 7, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307071253/http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/movies/2009/03/pretty_confusing.html|url-status=live}} Despite mixed reviews and moderate box office returns,{{Cite web|url=https://www.today.com/popculture/don-t-blame-roberts-duplicity-stumble-wbna29828981|title=Don't blame Roberts for 'Duplicity' stumble|date=March 23, 2009 |access-date=January 5, 2022|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107035750/https://www.today.com/popculture/don-t-blame-roberts-duplicity-stumble-wbna29828981|url-status=live}} critic A. O. Scott praised her performance: "Ms. Roberts has almost entirely left behind the coltish, America's-sweetheart mannerisms, except when she uses them strategically, to disarm or confuse. [...] She is, at 41, unmistakably in her prime".{{cite news | first = A. O. | last = Scott | author-link = A. O. Scott | title = Effervescent Espionage With Two Irresistible Forces | work = The New York Times | date = March 20, 2009 | url = https://movies.nytimes.com/2009/03/20/movies/20dupl.html | access-date = March 20, 2009 | archive-date = March 22, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090322193614/http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/03/20/movies/20dupl.html | url-status = live }} She received her seventh Golden Globe nomination for her role.

File:Julia Roberts 2010.jpg in 2010]]

In 2010, Roberts played a U.S. Army captain on a one-day leave, as part of a large ensemble cast, in the romantic comedy Valentine's Day, and starred as an author finding herself following a divorce in the film adaptation of Eat Pray Love. While she received $3 million up front against 3 percent of the gross for her six-minute role in Valentine's Day,{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2010/02/julia_roberts_valentines_day.html|title=For Valentine's Day, Julia Roberts Was Paid $500,000 a Minute ... All Six of Them|first=Claude|last=Brodesser-Akner|date=February 11, 2010 |access-date=April 17, 2020|archive-date=May 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200506061032/https://www.vulture.com/2010/02/julia_roberts_valentines_day.html|url-status=live}} Eat Pray Love had the highest debut at the box office for Roberts in a top-billed role since America's Sweethearts.{{cite web |url=http://valse-boston.livejournal.com/389329.html |title=Julia Roberts: Eat Pray Love in ELLE Magazine September 2010 |date=September 12, 2010 |publisher=Valse-boston.livejournal.com |access-date=October 12, 2012 |archive-date=January 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117004935/http://valse-boston.livejournal.com/389329.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2889&p=.htm |title='Expendables' Explode, 'Eat Pray Love' Carbo-Loads, 'Scott Pilgrim' Powers Down |publisher=Box Office Mojo |date=August 16, 2010 |access-date=October 12, 2012 |archive-date=October 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025234539/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2889&p=.htm |url-status=live }} She appeared as the teacher of a middle-aged man returning to education in the romantic comedy Larry Crowne, opposite Tom Hanks, who also served as the director.{{cite news|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/2011/07/01/movies/tom-hanks-and-julia-roberts-in-larry-crowne-review.html|title=Stymied in Middle Age, Reaching for a New Life|access-date=July 23, 2011|date=June 30, 2011|work=The New York Times|first=Stephen|last=Holden|archive-date=July 4, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110704185517/http://movies.nytimes.com/2011/07/01/movies/tom-hanks-and-julia-roberts-in-larry-crowne-review.html|url-status=live}} The film was poorly received by critics and audiences,{{cite web |url=https://rottentomatoes.com/m/larry_crowne/ |title=Larry Crowne (2011) |access-date=July 23, 2011 |website=Rotten Tomatoes |date=July 2011 |archive-date=August 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805035747/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/larry_crowne/ |url-status=live }} although Roberts's comedic performance was praised.{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/07/21/PKKE1K7KES.DTL|title=How good is 'Larry Crowne'?|access-date=July 23, 2011|date=July 21, 2011|work=San Francisco Chronicle|first=Mick|last=LaSalle|archive-date=July 23, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723074647/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2011%2F07%2F21%2FPKKE1K7KES.DTL|url-status=live}} In Mirror Mirror (2012), the Tarsem Singh adaptation of Snow White, Roberts portrayed Queen Clementianna, Snow White's evil stepmother, opposite Lily Collins.{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/05/mirror-mirror-snow-white-lily-collins_n_1077158.html|title='Mirror, Mirror': Snow White Film Starring Lily Collins, Julia Roberts Out March 26, 2012|access-date=November 6, 2011|date=November 4, 2011|work=The Huffington Post|archive-date=November 7, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111107031220/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/05/mirror-mirror-snow-white-lily-collins_n_1077158.html|url-status=live}} Peter Travers of Rolling Stone felt that she tried "way too hard" in her role,{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/mirror-mirror-124985/ |title=Mirror Mirror |first=Peter |last=Travers |date=March 30, 2012 |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=January 6, 2022 |archive-date=January 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107035358/https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/mirror-mirror-124985/ |url-status=live }} while Katey Rich of Cinema Blend observed that she "takes relish in her wicked [portrayal] but could have gone even further with it".{{Cite web|url = https://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Mirror-Mirror-5801.html|title = Mirror Mirror|date = May 27, 2016|access-date = January 6, 2022|archive-date = January 6, 2022|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220106001359/https://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Mirror-Mirror-5801.html|url-status = live}} Mirror Mirror made $183 million globally.

In 2013, Roberts starred alongside Meryl Streep and Ewan McGregor in the black comedy drama August: Osage County, about a dysfunctional family that re-unites into the familial house when their patriarch suddenly disappears.{{cite news | first=Mike | last=Fleming | title=Julia Roberts And Meryl Streep To Team In 'August: Osage County' For John Wells | url=https://deadline.com/2010/09/julia-roberts-meryl-streep-to-team-in-august-osage-county-71370/ | website=Deadline Hollywood | publisher=PMC | date=September 30, 2010 | access-date=September 30, 2010 | archive-date=October 1, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101001213611/http://www.deadline.com/2010/09/julia-roberts-meryl-streep-to-team-in-august-osage-county/ | url-status=live }} Her performance earned her nominations for the Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, Critics' Choice Award, and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, amongst other accolades.{{cite news|last=O'Connell|first=Michael|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/golden-globes-nominations-complete-list-665228|title=Golden Globes Nominations: The Complete List|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=December 12, 2013|access-date=January 16, 2014|archive-date=September 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915175249/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/golden-globes-nominations-complete-list-665228|url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://www.sagawards.org/media-pr/press-releases/nominations-announced-20th-annual-screen-actors-guild-awards%C2%AE |title=Nominations Announced for the 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® | Screen Actors Guild Awards |publisher=Sagawards.org |date=December 11, 2013 |access-date=January 16, 2014 |archive-date=October 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016001917/http://www.sagawards.org/media-pr/press-releases/nominations-announced-20th-annual-screen-actors-guild-awards%C2%AE |url-status=dead }}{{cite news|last=Respers France|first=Lisa|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/16/showbiz/movies/awards-season-critics-choice-awards-nominations/|title='12 Years a Slave' and 'American Hustle' lead Critics' Choice noms|publisher=CNN|date=January 8, 2014|access-date=January 16, 2014|archive-date=January 19, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140119090051/http://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/16/showbiz/movies/awards-season-critics-choice-awards-nominations|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=Oscar nominations announced for supporting actress|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/oscar-nominations-announced-for-supporting-actress/2014/01/16/48da8bde-7eb4-11e3-97d3-b9925ce2c57b_story.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140116203419/http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/oscar-nominations-announced-for-supporting-actress/2014/01/16/48da8bde-7eb4-11e3-97d3-b9925ce2c57b_story.html|archive-date=January 16, 2014|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=January 16, 2014|date=January 16, 2014|url-status=dead}} It was her fourth Academy Award nomination.{{cite web|title=Oscars 2014: Nominees' reactions – includes Julia Roberts|url=http://www.ontheredcarpet.com/photos/Oscars-2014:-Nominees-reactions---includes-Julia-Roberts/9395756|publisher=Ontheredcarpet.com|access-date=January 16, 2014|date=January 16, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140119150714/http://www.ontheredcarpet.com/photos/Oscars-2014:-Nominees-reactions---includes-Julia-Roberts/9395756|archive-date=January 19, 2014|url-status=dead}} In 2014, Roberts starred as Dr. Emma Brookner, a character based on Dr. Linda Laubenstein,{{cite web |url=http://www.timelinetheatre.com/normal_heart/TimeLine_NormalHeart_StudyGuide.pdf |title=The Normal Heart study guide |publisher=TimeLine Theatre |date=2013 |access-date=December 1, 2014 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304072205/http://www.timelinetheatre.com/normal_heart/TimeLine_NormalHeart_StudyGuide.pdf |url-status=live }}{{cite web |author-link=Larry Kramer |last=Kramer |first=Larry |url=http://media.npr.org/assets/artslife/arts/2011/05/larry-kramer-flyer_custom.jpg |title=Please Know |publisher=The Normal Heart on Broadway |date=2011 |access-date=December 1, 2014 |archive-date=March 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324080219/http://media.npr.org/assets/artslife/arts/2011/05/larry-kramer-flyer_custom.jpg |url-status=live }} in the television adaptation of Larry Kramer's AIDS-era play, The Normal Heart, which aired on HBO; the film was critically acclaimed and Vanity Fair, in its review, wrote: "Roberts, meanwhile, hums with righteous, Erin Brokovich-ian anger. Between this and August: Osage County, she's carving out a nice new niche for herself, playing brittle women who show their love and concern through explosive temper".{{cite web|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/05/the-normal-heart-review|title=HBO's The Normal Heart Reviewed|first=Richard|last=Lawson|website=Vanity Fair|date=May 23, 2014|access-date=October 5, 2018|archive-date=June 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626225912/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/05/the-normal-heart-review|url-status=live}} Her role garnered her a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie.{{cite web|url=http://www.emmys.com/bios/julia-roberts|title=Julia Roberts – Television Academy|access-date=October 5, 2018|archive-date=February 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203225827/http://www.emmys.com/bios/julia-roberts|url-status=live}}

Roberts narrated "Women in Hollywood", an episode of the second season of Makers: Women Who Make America, in 2014,{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/makers/season-two/women-in-hollywood/|title=Women in Hollywood|access-date=November 21, 2014|publisher=PBS|archive-date=November 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129034422/http://www.pbs.org/makers/season-two/women-in-hollywood/|url-status=live}} and appeared in Givenchy's spring–summer campaign in 2015.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.wwd.com/media-news/advertising/givenchy-turns-to-julia-roberts-8064000|title=Givenchy Turns to Julia Roberts|date=December 9, 2014|access-date=December 10, 2014|magazine=Women's Wear Daily|archive-date=December 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141211022210/http://www.wwd.com/media-news/advertising/givenchy-turns-to-julia-roberts-8064000|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.yahoo.com/style/exclusive-givenchys-new-muse-julia-roberts-on-104724284673.html|title=Exclusive: Givenchy's New Muse Julia Roberts on Becoming a Supermodel at 47|date=December 9, 2014|access-date=December 10, 2014|publisher=Yahoo! Style|archive-date=December 12, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141212031941/https://www.yahoo.com/style/exclusive-givenchys-new-muse-julia-roberts-on-104724284673.html|url-status=live}} She starred as a grieving mother opposite Nicole Kidman and Chiwetel Ejiofor in Secret in Their Eyes (2015), a remake of the 2009 Argentine film of the same name, both based on the novel La pregunta de sus ojos by author Eduardo Sacheri.{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/secret_in_their_eyes_2015|title=Secret in Their Eyes|website=Rotten Tomatoes|date=November 20, 2015 |access-date=October 5, 2018|archive-date=April 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430091647/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/secret_in_their_eyes_2015|url-status=live}} Unlike the original film, the American version received negative reviews and failed to find an audience.{{Cite web|url = https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/secret_in_their_eyes_2015|title = Secret in Their Eyes|website = Rotten Tomatoes| date=November 20, 2015 |access-date = October 5, 2018|archive-date = April 30, 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190430091647/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/secret_in_their_eyes_2015|url-status = live}} Donald Clarke of Irish Times concluded that a "sound job" by the cast "can't quite shake the whiff of compromise that hangs around the project".{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/secret-in-their-eyes-review-not-quite-peculiar-enough-to-be-interesting-1.2547945|title=Secret in Their Eyes review: Not quite peculiar enough to be interesting|newspaper=The Irish Times |access-date=January 5, 2022|archive-date=October 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001015810/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/secret-in-their-eyes-review-not-quite-peculiar-enough-to-be-interesting-1.2547945|url-status=live}} In 2016, Roberts reunited with Garry Marshall and reportedly received a $3 million fee for a four-day shoot, playing an accomplished author who gave her child for adoption, in the romantic comedy Mother's Day, which had a lackluster critical and commercial response.{{Mojo title | id=mothersday | title=Mother's Day}} Her next film release was Jodie Foster's thriller Money Monster, in which she starred as a television director, alongside George Clooney and Jack O'Connell.{{cite web | url=https://variety.com/2016/film/news/julia-roberts-mothers-day-salary-1201764235/ | title=Julia Roberts Made $3 Million for 4 Days on 'Mother's Day' | first=Ramin | last=Setoodeh | date=May 1, 2016 | work=Variety | access-date=October 28, 2018 | archive-date=August 26, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826005042/https://variety.com/2016/film/news/julia-roberts-mothers-day-salary-1201764235/ | url-status=live }} Sandra Hall of The Sydney Morning Herald stated: "It may be Hollywood melodrama but it's top of the range, giving Clooney and Roberts every opportunity to demonstrate the value of star power."{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/money-monster-review-explosive-thriller-takes-aim-at-wall-street-trickery-20160530-gp7fp7.html|title=Money Monster review: Explosive thriller takes aim at Wall Street trickery|date=May 30, 2016|access-date=January 5, 2022|archive-date=January 5, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220105151554/https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/money-monster-review-explosive-thriller-takes-aim-at-wall-street-trickery-20160530-gp7fp7.html|url-status=live}} The film made a respectable $93.3 million worldwide.{{Mojo title | id=moneymonster | title=Money Monster}}{{cite web | url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/money-monster | title=Money Monster reviews | website=Metacritic | access-date=June 4, 2016 | archive-date=June 2, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602032101/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/money-monster | url-status=live }}

File:Julia Roberts (43838880775).jpg at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival]]

In Wonder (2017), the film adaptation of the 2012 novel of the same name by R. J. Palacio, Roberts played the mother of a boy with Treacher Collins syndrome.{{cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/welcome/996192/single/~room-star-jacob-tremblay-in-talks-for-lionsgates-wonder-exclusive~/|title=Welcome – TheWrap|website=www.thewrap.com|date=April 14, 2016|access-date=October 5, 2018|archive-date=October 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181006035057/https://www.thewrap.com/welcome/996192/single/~room-star-jacob-tremblay-in-talks-for-lionsgates-wonder-exclusive~/|url-status=live}} The Times felt that she "lifts every one of her scenes in Wonder to near-sublime places".{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/film-review-wonder-mkxkkwvsn|title=Film review: Wonder|first=Kevin|last=Maher|date=December 1, 2017|via=www.thetimes.co.uk|access-date=October 5, 2018|archive-date=October 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181006000812/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/film-review-wonder-mkxkkwvsn|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wonder/reviews/?page=3&sort=|title=Wonder – Movie Reviews – Rotten Tomatoes|website=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=October 5, 2018|archive-date=December 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171211075217/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wonder/reviews/?page=3&sort=|url-status=live}} With a worldwide gross of $305.9 million, Wonder emerged as one of Roberts's most widely seen films.{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2018/01/24/box-office-wonder-lives-up-to-its-name-passes-250m-worldwide/#4179a1d14f10|title=Box Office: Julia Roberts And Owen Wilson's 'Wonder' Passes $250M Worldwide|first=Scott|last=Mendelson|website=Forbes|access-date=October 5, 2018|archive-date=October 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181006001531/https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2018/01/24/box-office-wonder-lives-up-to-its-name-passes-250m-worldwide/#4179a1d14f10|url-status=live}} In 2017, she also voiced a motherly Smurf leader in the animated film Smurfs: The Lost Village.{{Cite web|url = https://www.cbsnews.com/news/julia-roberts-smurfs-the-lost-village-children/|title = Julia Roberts talks family and lessons from "Smurfs"|website = CBS News| date=April 6, 2017 |access-date = January 6, 2022|archive-date = January 6, 2022|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220106005450/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/julia-roberts-smurfs-the-lost-village-children/|url-status = live}}

Roberts portrayed the mother of a troubled young man in Peter Hedges's drama Ben Is Back (2018). Shaun Kitchener of Daily Express remarked: "Roberts is often the best, or one of the best, things about any film she's in —and Ben Is Back is no different".{{Cite web|url = https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/films/1100538/Ben-Is-Back-review-Julia-Roberts-Lucas-Hedges-addiction-drama|title = Ben is Back REVIEW: Julia Roberts just about saves an uneven addiction drama|date = March 15, 2019|access-date = January 6, 2022|archive-date = January 6, 2022|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220106005429/https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/films/1100538/Ben-Is-Back-review-Julia-Roberts-Lucas-Hedges-addiction-drama|url-status = live}} The role of a caseworker at a secret government facility, in the first season of the psychological thriller series Homecoming, was Roberts's first regular television project.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/07/julia-roberts-homecoming-premiere-date-amazon-sam-esmail-first-look-comic-con-video-1202430552/|title=Julia Roberts And Sam Esmail's 'Homecoming' Gets Premiere Date & Teaser Trailer – Comic-Con|first=Patrick|last=Hipes|date=July 20, 2018|access-date=October 5, 2018|archive-date=April 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190406230704/https://deadline.com/2018/07/julia-roberts-homecoming-premiere-date-amazon-sam-esmail-first-look-comic-con-video-1202430552/|url-status=live}} The series, which premiered on Amazon Video in November 2018, garnered acclaim from critics, who concluded it was an "impressive small-screen debut" for Roberts that "balances its haunting mystery with a frenetic sensibility that grips and doesn't let go."{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/homecoming/s01/ |title=Homecoming: Season 1 |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango |access-date=May 18, 2020 |archive-date=March 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210312183044/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/homecoming/s01 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/tv/homecoming/season-1 |title=Homecoming: Season 1 |website=Metacritic |publisher=CBS Interactive |access-date=November 9, 2018 |archive-date=September 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200904202932/https://www.metacritic.com/tv/homecoming/season-1 |url-status=live }} She received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama.{{cite magazine |last=Snierson |first=Dan |title=Golden Globes 2019: See the full winners list |url=https://ew.com/golden-globes/2019/01/06/golden-globes-2019-winners-list/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=January 6, 2019 |date=January 6, 2019 |archive-date=January 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107110815/https://ew.com/golden-globes/2019/01/06/golden-globes-2019-winners-list/ |url-status=live }}

Roberts reunited with George Clooney for the romantic comedy Ticket to Paradise, which was released by Universal Pictures on October 21, 2022.{{cite web|url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/billie-lourd-on-for-ticket-to-paradise/|title=Billie Lourd On For Ticket To Paradise|date=March 7, 2021|first=James|last=White|website=Empire|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019223904/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/billie-lourd-on-for-ticket-to-paradise/|archive-date=October 19, 2021|url-status=live|access-date=October 19, 2021}} She also played Martha Mitchell, a controversial figure throughout the Watergate scandal, in the political thriller television series Gaslit, based on the first season of the podcast Slow Burn by Leon Neyfakh.

Roberts also starred as Amanda Sandford in the 2023 film Leave the World Behind, appearing alongside Ethan Hawke and Mahershala Ali. The movie is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Rumaan Alam. The film is produced by Barack and Michelle Obama's company, Higher Ground Productions.{{Cite web |date=2022-08-24 |title=What Julia Roberts is working on next – a glimpse into her upcoming star-studded projects |url=https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/20220824149195/julia-roberts-upcoming-star-studded-projects-revealed-details/ |access-date=2022-08-29 |website=HELLO! |archive-date=August 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829054048/https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/20220824149195/julia-roberts-upcoming-star-studded-projects-revealed-details/ |url-status=live }}

In 2024, Roberts and Riley Keough would narrate the audiobook version of Lisa Marie Presley's memoir From Here to the Great Unknown.{{cite news|url=https://www.today.com/parents/celebrity/riley-keough-michael-jackson-stepfather-rcna174854|title=Riley Keough on life with stepdad Michael Jackson — and her nickname for him|first=Anna|last=Kaplan|publisher=Today|date=October 10, 2024|access-date=October 10, 2024}}{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/arts/julia-roberts-narrate-audiobook-lisa-marie-presley-memoir-1236011741/|title=Julia Roberts to Narrate Audiobook of Lisa Marie Presley's Posthumous Memoir|first=Lexy|last=Perez|publisher=The Hollywood Reporter|date=September 25, 2024|access-date=October 10, 2024}}{{cite news|url=https://penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Julia-Roberts-to-Narrate-the-Audiobook-of-Lisa-Marie-Presleys-From-Here-to-the-Great-Unknown-Alongside-Riley-Keough.pdf|title=Julia Roberts To Narrate The Audiobook Of Lisa Marie Presley's From Here To The Great Unknown Alongside Riley Keough|publisher=Penguin Random House Audio Publishing|date=September 25, 2024|access-date=October 8, 2024}}

Roberts has contributed to UNICEF as well as other charitable organizations. Her six-day visit to Port-au-Prince, Haiti in 1995, as she said, "to educate myself",{{cite news |date=May 29, 1995 |title=Educating Julia Roberts Brings a Touch of Useful Glamour to Haiti |work=People}}{{cite magazine |title=UNICEF's Newest Goodwill Ambassador |date=May 29, 1995 |page=12 |volume=88 |issue=3 |magazine=Jet}} was expected to trigger an outburst of donations —$10 million in aid was sought at the time— by UNICEF officials. In 2006, she became a spokeswoman for Earth Biofuels as well as chair of the company's newly formed advisory board promoting the use of renewable fuels.{{cite news|url=https://www.chron.com/news/article/PRN-Julia-Roberts-Joins-Earth-Biofuels-Inc-as-1857293.php|title=Julia Roberts Joins Earth Biofuels, Inc. as Spokesperson and Advisory Board Member|work=Houston Chronicle|location=Dallas|date=July 18, 2006|access-date=December 29, 2018|archive-date=December 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181229220256/https://www.chron.com/news/article/PRN-Julia-Roberts-Joins-Earth-Biofuels-Inc-as-1857293.php|url-status=live}} In 2013, she was part of a Gucci campaign, "Chime for Change", that aims to spread female empowerment.{{cite web|last=Karmali|first=Sarah|title=Beyoncé Leads New Gucci Empowerment Campaign|url=http://www.vogue.co.uk/news/2013/02/28/beyonce-knowles-salma-hayek-gucci-chime-for-change-campaign-frida-giannini|work=Vogue|date=February 28, 2013|access-date=April 22, 2013|archive-date=September 14, 2014|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140914174013/http://www.vogue.co.uk/news/2013/02/28/beyonce-knowles-salma-hayek-gucci-chime-for-change-campaign-frida-giannini|url-status=live}}

In 2000, Roberts narrated a documentary about Rett syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder,{{cite web|url=https://dcmp.org/media/4204-silent-angels-the-rett-syndrome-story|title=Silent Angels: The Rett Syndrome Story|website=Described and Captioned Media Program|access-date=December 29, 2018|archive-date=December 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181229172010/https://dcmp.org/media/4204-silent-angels-the-rett-syndrome-story|url-status=live}} designed to help raise public awareness about the disease, and in 2014, she was the voice of Mother Nature in a short film for the Conservation International campaign Nature Is Speaking, intended to raise awareness about climate change.{{cite web|url=http://www.conservation.org/NewsRoom/pressreleases/Pages/Conservation-International-Launches-Celebrity-Studded-Awareness-Campaign-Nature-Is-Speaking.aspx|title=Conservation International Launches Celebrity Studded Awareness Campaign Nature Is Speaking|access-date=November 9, 2014|date=October 6, 2014|publisher=—Conservation International|archive-date=October 30, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141030174836/http://www.conservation.org/NewsRoom/pressreleases/Pages/Conservation-International-Launches-Celebrity-Studded-Awareness-Campaign-Nature-Is-Speaking.aspx|url-status=live}}

Roberts runs the production company Red Om Films (Red Om is "Moder" spelled backwards, after her husband's last nameJulia: Her Life, James Spada, page 423) with her sister, Lisa Roberts Gillan, and Marisa Yeres Gill.{{cite magazine |title=Roberts taps Red Om partner |url=https://variety.com/2012/film/news/roberts-taps-red-om-partner-1118061857/ |first=Justin |last=Kroll |magazine=Variety |date=November 7, 2012 |access-date=December 10, 2017 |archive-date=December 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225123521/http://variety.com/2012/film/news/roberts-taps-red-om-partner-1118061857/ |url-status=dead }} Through Red Om, Roberts has served as an executive producer for various projects she has starred in such as Eat Pray Love and Homecoming, as well as for the first four films of the American Girl film series (based on the American Girl line of dolls), released between 2004 and 2008.

In 2006, Roberts signed an endorsement deal with fashion label Gianfranco Ferre, valued at $6 million. She was photographed by Mario Testino in Los Angeles for the brand's advertising campaign, which was distributed in Europe, Asia and Australia.{{Cite web|url=https://people.com/celebrity/julia-new-face-of-ferre-fashion/|title=Julia: New Face of Ferre Fashion|work=Peoplemag |access-date=January 8, 2022|archive-date=January 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220109165434/https://people.com/celebrity/julia-new-face-of-ferre-fashion/|url-status=live}} Since 2009, Roberts has acted as Lancôme's global ambassador, a role in which she has been involved in the development and promotion of the brand's range of cosmetics and beauty products.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.vogue.in/content/julia-roberts-lancme-ambassador |title=Julia Roberts Lancôme Ambassador |first=Nidhi |last=Sharma |date=1 June 2010 |magazine=Vogue India |access-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-date=January 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220109165458/https://www.vogue.in/content/julia-roberts-lancme-ambassador |url-status=live }} She initially signed a five-year extension with the company for $50 million in 2010.{{cite news|url=https://www.luxurydaily.com/lancome-to-secure-spokesperson-julia-roberts-for-50-million/|title=Lancome to secure spokeswoman Julia Roberts for $50M|access-date=May 22, 2019|date=September 24, 2010|work=Luxury Daily|last=Bonneville|first=Kaitlyn|archive-date=April 8, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408053451/http://www.luxurydaily.com/lancome-to-secure-spokesperson-julia-roberts-for-50-million/|url-status=live}} Roberts starred as the global face of Chopard's Happy Sport and Happy Diamonds collections campaigns since 2021 and then Chopard had announced her as its Global Brand Ambassador in 2023.{{cite news|url=https://www.chopard.com/en-qa/our-magazine/chopard-loves-cinema-campaign-with-julia-roberts.html|title=Chopard Loves Cinema|access-date=December 11, 2023|date=March 20, 2023|work=Chopard|archive-date=December 11, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231211172015/https://www.chopard.com/en-qa/our-magazine/chopard-loves-cinema-campaign-with-julia-roberts.html|url-status=live}}

Roberts endorsed President Joe Biden for re-election in 2024 and has been involved in related fundraising, even though Biden ended his re-election campaign on July 21, 2024.{{Cite web |title=Can Political Endorsements From Stars Like Taylor Swift Make a Difference? |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/elections/articles/2024-06-14/can-political-endorsements-from-stars-like-taylor-swift-make-a-difference}}{{Cite web |date=2024-07-22 |title=President Joe Biden drops out of 2024 presidential race |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/president-joe-biden-drops-2024-presidential-race-rcna159867 |access-date=2024-08-13 |website=NBC News |language=en}}

Throughout her career, Roberts has frequently been referred to as "America's sweetheart" by the media,{{Cite news |date=November 30, 2005 |title=Julia Roberts: America's sweetheart |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4484644.stm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250125082756/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4484644.stm |archive-date=January 25, 2025 |access-date=March 18, 2025 |work=BBC News Online}}{{Cite news |last=Ng |first=Philiana |date=November 2, 2018 |title=The Inside Story Behind Julia Roberts' 'Homecoming,' Amazon's Latest Binge-Worthy Show (Exclusive) |url=https://www.etonline.com/the-inside-story-behind-julia-roberts-homecoming-amazons-latest-binge-worthy-show-exclusive-112885 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240908090353/https://www.etonline.com/the-inside-story-behind-julia-roberts-homecoming-amazons-latest-binge-worthy-show-exclusive-112885 |archive-date=September 8, 2024 |access-date=March 18, 2025 |work=Entertainment Tonight}}{{Cite news |last=Tingley |first=Anna |date=June 4, 2019 |title=Why Julia Roberts Never Thought of Herself as 'America's Sweetheart' |url=https://variety.com/video/julia-roberts-americas-sweetheart-actors-on-actors/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240823181257/https://variety.com/video/julia-roberts-americas-sweetheart-actors-on-actors/ |archive-date=August 23, 2024 |access-date=March 21, 2025 |work=Variety}} a label that Vogue writer Noor Brara linked to her portrayals of characters that embody elements of the trope.{{Cite news |last=Brara |first=Noor |date=April 22, 2017 |title=5 Things You Didn't Know About Julia Roberts |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/julia-roberts-5-things-you-didnt-know |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114174228/https://www.vogue.com/article/julia-roberts-5-things-you-didnt-know |archive-date=November 14, 2023 |access-date=March 18, 2025 |work=Vogue}} BBC News Online attributed her early popularity to her roles as relatable, girl-next-door characters, often portraying vulnerable working-class women. Geoffrey Macnab of The Independent noted that during her peak, Roberts' appeal stemmed from her ability to blend the glamour of classic Hollywood stars with an approachable, down-to-earth quality.{{Cite news |last=Macnab |first=Geoffrey |date=March 13, 2009 |title=Julia Roberts - Has cinema's queen lost her crown? |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/julia-roberts-has-cinema-s-queen-lost-her-crown-1643714.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250220051721/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/julia-roberts-has-cinema-s-queen-lost-her-crown-1643714.html |archive-date=February 20, 2025 |access-date=March 19, 2025 |work=The Independent}} While romantic comedies cemented her status as an international star, Erin Brockovich is often cited as the film that earned her broader critical recognition as an actress.{{Cite news |last=Shark |first=Taya |date=October 31, 2024 |title=Julia Roberts – Hollywood's Queen with a million-dollar smile |url=https://elleuzbekistan.com/en/julia-roberts-hollywood-s-queen-with-a-million-dollar-smile/ |access-date=March 21, 2025 |work=ELLE Uzbekistan}} Film critic David Edelstein observed that while Roberts is widely acknowledged as a movie star, critics and cinephiles have debated the extent of her acting abilities, sometimes discussing her work with a degree of skepticism.{{Cite news |last=Edelstein |first=David |author-link=David Edelstein |date=April 13, 2006 |title=The Close-Up Is Her Voodoo |url=https://nymag.com/news/profiles/16712/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225130131/https://nymag.com/news/profiles/16712/ |archive-date=February 25, 2024 |access-date=March 18, 2025 |work=New York}} In 2012, HuffPost writer Mike Ryan suggested that her career has relied more on her star power than on widespread acclaim for her acting, noting that she is not often included in discussions of the industry's most celebrated actresses.{{Cite news |last=Ryan |first=Mike |date=March 30, 2012 |title=Julia Roberts Is Mean |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/julia-roberts-is-mean_b_1389713 |access-date=March 18, 2025 |work=HuffPost}}

Some critics have pointed out that Roberts has frequently played characters with traits similar to her own,{{Cite news |last=Singer |first=Matt |date=September 15, 2014 |title=How Julia Roberts became an icon playing the Girl Next Door |url=https://thedissolve.com/features/career-view/752-julia-roberts-weepy-sexless-sweetheart-vs-julie-ro/ |access-date=March 20, 2025 |work=The Dissolve |quote=no matter who she plays, she's often also playing “Julia Roberts,”}} contributing to a screen presence that journalist and filmmaker Bilge Ebiri described as difficult to separate from her public persona.{{Cite news |last=Ebiri |first=Bilge |author-link=Bilge Ebiri |date=November 21, 2017 |title=Every Julia Roberts Performance, Ranked |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/best-julia-roberts-movie-ranked.html |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421214347/https://www.vulture.com/article/best-julia-roberts-movie-ranked.html |archive-date=April 21, 2024 |access-date=March 19, 2025 |work=Vulture}} John Anderson of The Seattle Times described her as "an actress who has never really been required to act".{{Cite news |last=Anderson |first=John |date=March 22, 2009 |title=Julia Roberts returns to the limelight |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/movies/julia-roberts-returns-to-the-limelight/ |access-date=March 20, 2025 |work=The Seattle Times}} Matt Singer of The Dissolve said "Roberts has rarely strayed far from the onscreen persona that made her one of the biggest movie stars in history—that of a simple girl of limited means and unlimited heart, pulling herself up by her bootstraps". Attempts to divert from this image in the 1990s met with mixed responses, though Macnab noted her versatility in transitioning between romantic comedies, thrillers, period dramas, and independent films. Jihane Bousfiha of Time said that while her grace, warmth, and charisma "permeates all of her roles", no genre has highlighted these qualities as effectively as romantic comedies, describing her its "undisputed queen".{{Cite magazine |last=Bousfiha |first=Jihane |date=October 19, 2022 |title=Every Julia Roberts Romantic Comedy, Ranked |url=https://time.com/6223174/julia-roberts-rom-coms-ranked/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240430073600/https://time.com/6223174/julia-roberts-rom-coms-ranked/ |archive-date=April 30, 2024 |access-date=March 20, 2025 |magazine=Time}} Film critic and historian David Thomson wrote in Salon that he once received letters from upset fans over suggesting that Roberts' talent was being misused in some of her then-recent film roles.{{Cite news |last=Thomson |first=David |author-link=David Thomson (film critic) |date=December 13, 2001 |title=Hold your fire |url=https://www.salon.com/2001/12/13/julia_2/ |access-date=March 21, 2025 |work=Salon}} Director Mike Nichols, who worked with her on Charlie Wilson's War, argued that her beauty sometimes overshadowed her acting skills, praising her intelligence, preparation, and ability to fully embody her characters.{{Cite news |last=Rozen |first=Leah |date=April 29, 2010 |title=Mother and Mega-Star, Happily Balanced |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/movies/02roberts.html |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240715132530/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/movies/02roberts.html |archive-date=July 15, 2024 |access-date=March 18, 2025 |work=The New York Times}} The actress said she does not have any acting techniques, commenting, "there's nothing more boring than actors sitting around talking about acting".{{Cite news |date=August 4, 2010 |title=Julia Roberts |url=https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a11346/julia-roberts-462418/ |access-date=January 21, 2025 |work=Elle}}

Since Eat Pray Love, Roberts has largely moved away from the romantic comedy roles that defined much of her early career, instead gravitating toward more dramatic, character-driven projects, including supporting roles in ensemble films.{{Cite news |last=Kaufman |first=Amy |date=December 26, 2013 |title=Julia Roberts: From America's Sweetheart to neighborhood mom |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-xpm-2013-dec-26-la-et-mn-julia-roberts-osage-county-20131227-story.html |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240412080304/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-xpm-2013-dec-26-la-et-mn-julia-roberts-osage-county-20131227-story.html |archive-date=April 12, 2024 |access-date=March 19, 2025 |work=Los Angeles Times}} She has attributed this shift to evolving opportunities, personal growth, and the increasing complexity of roles available to her with age. Roberts has cited Frances McDormand, Annette Bening, and Meryl Streep as actresses she admires for balancing successful careers with family life.

Roberts has been recognized as one of the defining actors of her generation,{{Cite news |last=Davis |first=Clayton |date=October 28, 2022 |title=Julia Roberts' 10 Best Film Performances: From 'Pretty Woman' to 'Erin Brockovich' |url=https://variety.com/lists/julia-roberts-best-movies-performances-ranked/the-pelican-brief-1993/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230109141353/https://variety.com/lists/julia-roberts-best-movies-performances-ranked/the-pelican-brief-1993/ |archive-date=January 9, 2023 |access-date=March 19, 2025 |work=Variety}} and among the most influential actresses of the 1990s and early 2000s.{{Cite web |date=February 15, 2025 |title=Julia Roberts – American actress |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Julia-Roberts |access-date=March 19, 2025 |website=Encyclopædia Britannica}} During her peak, several publications described her as the world's biggest movie star.{{Cite news |last=Kaufman |first=Amy |date=December 5, 2018 |title=Julia Roberts knows what she wants, and being a 'movie star' isn't high on the list |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-julia-roberts-ben-is-back-homecoming-20181205-story.html |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613120337/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-julia-roberts-ben-is-back-homecoming-20181205-story.html |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |access-date=March 18, 2025 |work=Los Angeles Times |quote=one of the biggest movie stars in the world.}}{{Cite news |last=Gilchrist |first=Ava |title=This Is The One Piece Of Beauty Advice Julia Roberts Wishes Her Younger Self Knew |url=https://graziamagazine.com/us/articles/julia-roberts-beauty-advice/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250318162829/https://graziamagazine.com/us/articles/julia-roberts-beauty-advice/ |archive-date=March 18, 2025 |access-date=March 18, 2025 |work=Grazia}}{{Cite news |date=November 17, 2017 |title=Julia Roberts' rise to $190M stardom |url=https://www.pressreader.com/usa/life-style-weekly/20171117/284339724908616 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250318162829/https://www.pressreader.com/usa/life-style-weekly/20171117/284339724908616?srsltid=AfmBOoomBxBnn1xB6aaM4GY6DniKn3EWt-oJs1deCAL9vbRk28BlXKLc |archive-date=March 18, 2025 |access-date=March 18, 2025 |work=Life & Style |via=PressReader}}{{Cite news |last=Knegt |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Knegt |date=January 8, 2021 |title=The 21 greatest movie award speeches of all time |url=https://www.cbc.ca/arts/the-21-greatest-movie-award-speeches-of-all-time-1.5579183 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922030704/https://www.cbc.ca/arts/the-21-greatest-movie-award-speeches-of-all-time-1.5579183 |archive-date=September 22, 2023 |access-date=March 20, 2025 |work=CBC.ca}}{{Cite news |last=Dams |first=Tim |date=August 9, 2024 |title='Erin Brockovich' producer Stacey Sher: 'This is a job of psychotic optimism' |url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/erin-brockovich-producer-stacey-sher-this-is-a-job-of-psychotic-optimism/5196121.article |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241126224832/https://www.screendaily.com/news/erin-brockovich-producer-stacey-sher-this-is-a-job-of-psychotic-optimism/5196121.article |archive-date=November 26, 2024 |access-date=March 20, 2025 |work=Screen Daily}} Ebiri called her "more than a movie star ... she was an existential fact" and "a dominant cultural force". Reporting on her star power in 1995, The New York Times’ Josh Young described her as a "rainmaker for women's films", with the ability to guarantee a film's opening weekend audience and even greenlight a project simply by agreeing to star in it.{{Cite news |last=Young |first=Josh |date=October 1, 1995 |title=When Julia Roberts Says No, Other Actresses Cry, Thanks! |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/01/arts/when-julia-roberts-says-no-other-actresses-cry-thanks.html |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220622141401/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/01/arts/when-julia-roberts-says-no-other-actresses-cry-thanks.html |archive-date=June 22, 2022 |access-date=March 18, 2025 |work=The New York Times}} He also noted that her peers had benefited by accepting roles she had turned down. Roberts’ agent at the time, Elaine Goldsmith, credited her as one of the actresses in the 1990s who helped convince studios that women could lead films as successfully as men. According to Leah Rozen of The New York Times, she remained "the biggest female box office draw for 20 years". Roberts has also been recognized as a pioneer in pushing for gender pay equity in Hollywood, negotiating salaries on par with her male counterparts.{{Cite news |last=Utley |first=Riley |date=August 27, 2023 |title=What Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lawrence And 5 Other Actresses Have Said About The Pay Gap |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/what-julia-roberts-jennifer-lawrence-and-other-actresses-said-about-pay-gap |access-date=March 18, 2025 |work=CinemaBlend}} The then-unprecedented $20 million salary she commanded set a new standard for actresses' compensation, according to BBC News Online. She was the highest-paid actress in Hollywood for much of the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2000, Roberts became the first actress to be included on The Hollywood Reporter's list of the 50 most influential women in show business, on which she was ranked the third most powerful woman in entertainment.{{Cite news |last=Davies |first=Hugh |date=December 5, 2001 |title=Julia Roberts crowned queen of Hollywood |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1364433/Julia-Roberts-crowned-queen-of-Hollywood.html |access-date=March 19, 2025 |work=The Daily Telegraph}} In 2002, she became the first woman to be ranked the most bankable star in Hollywood based on an industry poll by the same publication, tying her with male actors Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks.{{Cite news |date=February 4, 2002 |title=Julia Roberts Puts Women on Top in Hollywood for the First Time |url=https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/20020205928446/bigstars/ |access-date=March 19, 2025 |work=Hello}} As her career progressed, journalists began speculating whether her name alone could still guarantee box office success, particularly as some of her later films saw mixed commercial results.{{Cite news |last=McClintock |first=Pamela |date=May 6, 2016 |title=Julia Roberts' Box-Office Power in Question |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/julia-roberts-box-office-power-890862/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240102015115/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/julia-roberts-box-office-power-890862/ |archive-date=January 2, 2024 |access-date=March 19, 2025 |work=The Hollywood Reporter}}{{Cite news |last=Barnard |first=Linda |date=May 8, 2016 |title=Is Julia Roberts off Hollywood's A list? |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/is-julia-roberts-off-hollywood-s-a-list/article_efde1138-2c49-50bd-a624-2c724873f90c.html |access-date=March 20, 2025 |work=Toronto Star}} By 2017, Roberts stated that she no longer actively pursued roles but instead waited to see what opportunities arose. She has maintained that she is selective about her projects and that her agents never try to persuade her to take on a role.

Roberts has stated that she has successfully maintained a clear separation between her personal life and her acting career.{{Cite news |last=Delcroix |first=Olivier |date=March 24, 2009 |title=A role that is the opposite of my personality |url=https://www-lefigaro-fr.translate.goog/cinema/2009/03/24/03002-20090324ARTFIG00524-un-role-aux-antipodes-de-ma-personnalite-.php?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp |access-date=March 18, 2025 |work=Le Figaro |language=French}} Kaufman likened her public image to that of leading a double life, balancing her role as both a mother and one of the most recognizable faces globally. In 2009, a critic for The New Yorker suggested that while Roberts is a skilled actress, her technical abilities might not always match the emotional depth required for audiences to fully connect with her performances, partly due to the distance she maintains in her public persona.{{Cite magazine |date=March 27, 2009 |title=Duplicity |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/duplicity |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323000836/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/duplicity |archive-date=March 23, 2023 |access-date=March 18, 2025 |magazine=The New Yorker}} For Vulture, The Fug Girls described Roberts' public persona, which they dubbed "Julianess", as an overwhelming display of confidence and charm that at times borders on arrogance.{{Cite news |last=The Fug Girls |author-link=Go Fug Yourself |date=June 29, 2011 |title=The Fug Girls Rate Julia Roberts's Movies on their Grinning, Brassy Julia-ness |url=https://www.vulture.com/2011/06/fug_girls_on_julia_roberts.html |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121064915/https://www.vulture.com/2011/06/fug_girls_on_julia_roberts.html |archive-date=November 21, 2023 |access-date=March 19, 2025 |work=Vulture}} Natalie Finn of E! observed that the media constantly compares younger, up-and-coming actresses to Roberts in an attempt to crown a spiritual successor, which Finn declared an unfair comparison.{{Cite news |last=Finn |first=Natalie |date=October 26, 2017 |title=There Will Never Be a "Next Julia Roberts": Debunking Hollywood's Favorite Fruitless Comparison |url=https://www.eonline.com/ca/news/889729/there-will-never-be-a-next-julia-roberts-debunking-hollywood-s-favorite-fruitless-comparison |access-date=March 26, 2025 |work=E!}} Some journalists have noted reports of Roberts being challenging to work with, citing alleged conflicts with certain directors and co-stars.{{Cite news |last=Burtt |first=Kristyn |date=January 12, 2024 |title=Julia Roberts Addresses the Long-Held Rumor That She's Difficult To Work With |url=https://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/2934103/julia-roberts-difficult-reputation-hollywood/ |access-date=March 21, 2025 |work=SheKnows}}{{Cite news |last=Soteriou |first=Stephanie |date=January 27, 2024 |title=Julia Roberts Alluded To Her Difficult Reputation And Admitted She Holds Back From Being 'Too Friendly' On Movie Sets |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/julia-roberts-difficult-reputation_n_65b402ace4b014b873b10c3c |access-date=March 18, 2025 |work=HuffPost}} In a 2024 interview with filmmaker Richard Curtis, she finally addressed these rumors, which she attributed to conscious efforts she has made not appear overly friendly on film sets to avoid being taken advantage of and forthright personality, but maintains that she never intends to hurt others.{{Cite news |last=Curtis |first=Richard |author-link=Richard Curtis |date=January 11, 2024 |title=The Meet Cute: Julia Roberts Opens Up To Richard Curtis About Her Rom-Com-Perfect Marriage, The Secret To Ageing Gracefully & Why She Almost Turned Down Notting Hill |url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/julia-roberts-british-vogue-cover-interview |access-date=March 20, 2025 |work=British Vogue}} Edelstein observed that early in her career, Roberts was known for being edgy, hypersensitive, and difficult on set, though later profiles have emphasized her efforts to be seen as more down-to-earth.

Journalists and critics have frequently commented on Roberts' physical appearance and sex appeal.{{Cite news |last=Goldstein |first=Patrick |author-link=Patrick Goldstein |date=March 23, 1990 |title=Julia Roberts--Living Life in the Fast Lane : Film: In just three years, the Oscar nominee has gone from star-struck newcomer to a formidable member of the elite $1 million-a-movie club. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-03-23-ca-796-story.html |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231210073253/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-03-23-ca-796-story.html |archive-date=December 10, 2023 |access-date=March 20, 2025 |work=Los Angeles Times |quote=Enamored by her spunky personality and full-lipped sex appeal, smitten critics have tossed bouquets at her feet.}} However, film critic Patrick Goldstein and celebrity stylist Philip Bloch stated that Roberts never fully embodied the sex symbol role, despite her attractiveness.{{Cite news |last=Stewart |first=Anna |date=October 11, 2007 |title=Movie icon Julia Roberts sets style |url=https://variety.com/2007/film/awards/movie-icon-julia-roberts-sets-style-1117973885/ |access-date=March 20, 2025 |work=Variety}} Singer observed that "For a woman who became famous playing a prostitute, Roberts has maintained a surprisingly asexual onscreen persona", rarely performing sex scenes. People magazine has named Roberts the "World's Most Beautiful Woman" a record-breaking five times, most recently in 2017.{{Cite news |date=April 19, 2017 |title=People magazine names Julia Roberts 'World's Most Beautiful Woman' |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/people-julia-roberts-beautiful-1.4075318 |access-date=March 20, 2025 |agency=Associated Press |via=CBC News}}

On a 2023 episode of Finding Your Roots, Roberts learned that the surname of her biological paternal great-great-grandfather was actually Mitchell, not Roberts.{{cite web |title=Julia Roberts Isn't ACTUALLY Julia "Roberts"?? - Finding Your Roots |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sXCRjTtHNU |website=Ancestry | date=January 3, 2023 |access-date=6 January 2023 |archive-date=January 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106025153/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sXCRjTtHNU&gl=US&hl=en |url-status=live }}

Roberts also learned her ancestors owned slaves: "You have to figure, if you are from the South, you're on one side of it or the other. It just seems very typical of that time, unfortunately. ... You can't turn your back on history, even when you become a part of it in a way that doesn't align with your personal compass."{{cite web |title=Julia Roberts feels 'sad' after discovering her ancestor's connection to slavery: Here's why |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1027498-julia-roberts-feels-sad-after-discovering-her-ancestors-connection-to-slavery-heres-why |website=The News International |publisher=Jang Group |access-date=6 January 2023 |archive-date=January 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106025154/https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1027498-julia-roberts-feels-sad-after-discovering-her-ancestors-connection-to-slavery-heres-why |url-status=live }}

Roberts is a distant cousin of fellow actor Edward Norton.{{cite web |last1=Wittmer |first1=Carrie |title=Julia Roberts Just Discovered She's Related to This 'Glass Onion' Star |url=https://www.glamour.com/story/julia-roberts-just-discovered-shes-related-to-this-glass-onion-star |website=Glamour |date=January 4, 2023 |access-date=6 January 2023 |archive-date=January 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106022336/https://www.glamour.com/story/julia-roberts-just-discovered-shes-related-to-this-glass-onion-star |url-status=live }}

Roberts had romantic relationships with actors Jason Patric,{{Cite magazine |last=Neuhaus |first=Cable |date=22 November 1991 |title=Julia Roberts: The Price of Fame |url=https://ew.com/article/1991/11/22/julia-roberts-price-fame/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=February 5, 2024 |archive-date=February 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240203155440/https://ew.com/article/1991/11/22/julia-roberts-price-fame/ |url-status=live }} Liam Neeson, Kiefer Sutherland, Dylan McDermott, and Matthew Perry.{{cite news|last=Lague|first=Louise|date=July 1, 1991|url=https://people.com/archive/cover-story-miss-roberts-regrets-vol-35-no-25/|title=Miss Roberts Regrets|access-date=February 24, 2019|work=People|archive-date=February 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190225103304/https://people.com/archive/cover-story-miss-roberts-regrets-vol-35-no-25/|url-status=live}} She was briefly engaged to Sutherland; they broke up shortly before their scheduled wedding on June 14, 1991. According to Roberts, it had been cancelled long before, not "days before the wedding" as the press claimed at the time,{{Cite magazine |last=Rensin |first=David |date=14 July 1994 |title=The Rolling Stone Interview: Julia Roberts |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/the-rolling-stone-interview-julia-roberts-53366/4/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=February 5, 2024 |archive-date=February 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240203155440/https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/the-rolling-stone-interview-julia-roberts-53366/4/ |url-status=live }} and that it was a mutual decision. On June 25, 1993, she married country singer Lyle Lovett; the wedding took place at St. James Lutheran Church in Marion, Indiana.{{cite news|last=Levitt|first=Shelley|date=August 8, 1994|url=https://people.com/archive/cover-story-state-of-their-union-vol-42-no-6/|title=State of Their Union|access-date=February 24, 2019|work=People|archive-date=February 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190225103250/https://people.com/archive/cover-story-state-of-their-union-vol-42-no-6/|url-status=live}} They separated in March 1995 and subsequently divorced.{{cite news|last=Schneider|first=Karen|date=April 10, 1995|url=https://people.com/archive/cover-story-one-last-sad-song-vol-43-no-14/|title=One Last Sad Song|access-date=February 24, 2019|work=People.com|archive-date=February 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190225103237/https://people.com/archive/cover-story-one-last-sad-song-vol-43-no-14/|url-status=live}} From 1998 to 2001, Roberts dated actor Benjamin Bratt.Silverman, Stephen M. (July 11, 2001). [http://www.people.com/people/article/0,26334,622133,00.html "Julia Roberts Lays It on the Line"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214030910/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,26334,622133,00.html |date=February 14, 2015 }}. People.

Roberts and her husband, cameraman Daniel Moder, met on the set of her film The Mexican in 2000 while she was still dating Bratt. At the time, Moder was married to Vera Steimberg. He filed for divorce a little over a year later, and after it was finalized, he and Roberts wed on July 4, 2002,{{cite web|url=http://www.celebritybrideguide.com/danny-moder-julia-roberts-wedding/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212102108/http://www.celebritybrideguide.com/danny-moder-julia-roberts-wedding/|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 12, 2009|title=Danny Moder and Julia Roberts Wedding|date=July 4, 2004|access-date=July 22, 2013|publisher=Celebrity Bride Guide}} at her ranch in Taos, New Mexico.{{cite web |last=Schneider |first=Karen |title=Hideaway Bride |url=https://people.com/premium/hideaway-bride/ |work=People |date=July 11, 2002 |access-date=December 18, 2007 |archive-date=December 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220234319/http://people.com/premium/hideaway-bride/ |url-status=live }} Together, they have three children: twins, a daughter and a son, born in November 2004,{{cite web|title=Julia Roberts Gives Birth to Twins|url=https://people.com/celebrity/julia-roberts-gives-birth-to-twins/|work=People|date=November 28, 2004|access-date=October 24, 2022|archive-date=October 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221024173352/https://people.com/celebrity/julia-roberts-gives-birth-to-twins/|url-status=live}} and another son born in June 2007.{{cite web|url=https://people.com/celebrity/julia-roberts-welcomes-a-baby-boy/|title=Julia Roberts Welcomes a Baby Boy|work=People|date=June 18, 2007|access-date=February 24, 2018|archive-date=March 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180301225351/http://people.com/celebrity/julia-roberts-welcomes-a-baby-boy/|url-status=live}}

In 2010, Roberts said she was Hindu, having converted for "spiritual satisfaction".{{cite news |last=Blake |first=Heidi |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/7928961/Julia-Roberts-Im-a-Hindu.html |title=Julia Roberts: I'm a Hindu |date=August 5, 2010 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |access-date=April 3, 2018 |archive-date=April 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420134225/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/7928961/Julia-Roberts-Im-a-Hindu.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite web|last=Roy|first=Subhamoy|date=10 January 2019|title=Why Julia Roberts Became a Hindu|url=https://www.learnreligions.com/why-julia-roberts-became-a-hindu-1769989|url-status=live|website=Learn Religions|access-date=October 28, 2021|archive-date=October 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028160049/https://www.learnreligions.com/why-julia-roberts-became-a-hindu-1769989}} Roberts is a devotee of the guru Neem Karoli Baba (Maharaj-ji), a picture of whom drew Roberts to Hinduism.{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Entertainment/video/julia-roberts-journey-eat-pray-love-11356429 |title=Julia Roberts' Journey in 'Eat Pray Love' |date=August 9, 2010 |publisher=ABC News |access-date=October 6, 2010 |archive-date=August 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100817014104/http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Entertainment/video/julia-roberts-journey-eat-pray-love-11356429 |url-status=live }}

In September 2009, Swami Daram Dev of Ashram Hari Mandir in Pataudi, where Roberts was shooting Eat Pray Love, gave her children new names after Hindu gods: Lakshmi for Hazel, Ganesh for Phinnaeus and Krishna Balram for Henry.{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Julia-Roberts-names-children-after-Hindu-gods/articleshow/5047870.cms|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212075902/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-09-23/india/28083655_1_julia-roberts-phinnaeus-names|url-status=live|archive-date=December 12, 2013|title=Julia Roberts names children after Hindu gods|access-date=November 19, 2013|date=September 24, 2009|work=The Times of India}}

Roberts supported Kamala Harris during the 2024 United States presidential election. She appeared with Harris in a campaign rally in the swing state of Georgia, and also voiced a political advertisement for Harris.{{cite news|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/4928968-julia-roberts-harris-georgia-warnock-abrams-emhoff/|title=Julia Roberts stumps for Harris in Georgia|date=October 11, 2024| first= Filip |last= Timotija| work=The Hill}}{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/trump-slams-julia-roberts-harris-ad-cringe-1236198497/|title=Donald Trump Slams Julia Roberts for Narrating Ad Urging Wives to Vote for Kamala Harris: 'She's Going to Look Back at That and She's Going to Cringe'|newspaper=Variety|date=November 2, 2024|first1= J. Kim| last1= Murphy| first2= Michaela| last2= Zee}} Donald Trump, who ran against Harris in the election, criticized Roberts for her role in the advertisement.

Roberts has a preference for going barefoot, including at public events like film festivals, talk shows, and her wedding to Lyle Lovett. Her barefoot habit was incorporated into a number of her movie roles, including Tinker Bell in Hook.[https://people.com/celebrity/julia-roberts-barefoot-from-cannes-to-pretty-woman/ From 'Pretty Woman' to Cannes: Every Time Julia Roberts Famously Rocked the Barefoot Look][https://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/julia-roberts-went-barefoot-on-the-cannes-red-carpet-31588028.html Julia Roberts Went Barefoot on the Cannes Red Carpet]

{{Main|Julia Roberts filmography|List of awards and nominations received by Julia Roberts|l2=awards and nominations}}

Roberts's films that have earned the most at the box office, {{as of|2021|lc=on}}, include:{{cite web |title=Catherine Zeta-Jones |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/name/nm0000210/ |website=Box Office Mojo |url-status=live |access-date=January 6, 2022 |archive-date=January 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220106031756/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/name/nm0000210/ }}

{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|

• Pretty Woman (1990)
• Hook (1991)
• Sleeping with the Enemy (1991)
• The Pelican Brief (1993)
• My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)
• Notting Hill (1999)
• Runaway Bride (1999)
• Erin Brockovich (2000)
• Ocean's Eleven (2001)
• Ocean's Twelve (2004)
• Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
• Valentine's Day (2010)
• Eat Pray Love (2010)
• Mirror Mirror (2012)
• Money Monster (2016)
• Wonder (2017)

}}

Roberts has received four Academy Award nominations, winning for Best Actress at the 73rd Academy Awards, for her titular portrayal in Erin Brockovich, which additionally earned her a Golden Globe, a BAFTA Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She won Golden Globe Awards for her performances in Steel Magnolias and Pretty Woman,{{cite news |url=https://apnews.com/article/6b5d7432e9254823aab93f261e90e030 |title=Julia Roberts to receive George Eastman Award for movie work |date=February 18, 2019 |work=Associated Press |access-date=January 6, 2022 |archive-date=May 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514180041/https://apnews.com/article/6b5d7432e9254823aab93f261e90e030 |url-status=live }} and as of 2019, has garnered eight nominations. Roberts received two Primetime Emmy Awards nominations, one for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, for her guest-role on Law & Order, and the other for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Television Movie, for her performance in The Normal Heart.{{Cite web|url=https://www.emmys.com/bios/julia-roberts|title=Julia Roberts|access-date=January 6, 2022|archive-date=February 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203225827/http://www.emmys.com/bios/julia-roberts|url-status=live}} On February 28, 2025, Roberts was honored by French Minister of Culture Rachida Dati as a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) for her significant contribution to world cinema.[https://www.culture.gouv.fr/fr/presse/agenda-ministre/agenda-previsionnel-de-madame-rachida-dati-ministre-de-la-culture-du-lundi-24-fevrier-au-vendredi-28-fevrier-2025 Agenda prévisionnel de Madame Rachida Dati, ministre de la Culture, du lundi 24 février au vendredi 28 février 2025] - websote of the Ministry of Culture of France[https://www.vanityfair.fr/article/rachida-dati-decore-julia-roberts-avant-les-cesar-2025 Rachida Dati décore Julia Roberts avant les César 2025] - website of fashion magazine Vanity Fair

{{Reflist

| refs =

}}

• Mark Bego. Julia Roberts: America's Sweetheart (New York: AMI Books, 2003). {{ISBN|1932270094}}.
• Paul Donnelley. Julia Roberts Confidential: The Unauthorised Biography (London: Virgin, 2003). {{ISBN|1852270233}}.
• James Spada. Julia: Her Life (New York: St Martin's Press, 2004). {{ISBN|0312285655}}
• Frank Sanello. Julia Roberts: Pretty Superstar (Edinburgh: Mainstream 2010). {{ISBN|1845966651}}.

{{sister project links|commons=category:Julia Roberts|wikt=no |v=no |n=no |s=no |b=no}}

• {{IMDb name|210}}
• {{IBDB name|403590}}
• {{rotten-tomatoes-person|julia_roberts}}

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