Julia Roberts, America’s Sweetheart: Surprising Facts

By John C. Barnard Last updated May 25, 2022 0

Julia Roberts has been a mainstay in Hollywood for the past three decades, which is hard to fathom. There’s no disputing her brilliance, from her breakout role in Pretty Woman to her Oscar-winning performance in Erin Brockovich, but “America’s Sweetheart” also has a nasty side. This is Julia Roberts’ genuine tale, from her stormy personal life to her terrible family background.

Facts about Julia Roberts

1. She had an unusual birth experience. On October 28, 1967, Julia Roberts took her first breaths. She was born in the city of Smyrna, Georgia, and it was always in her blood to perform. Her father owned a small acting school where he educated Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter. Mrs. King really covered the hospital expense for Julia’s birth as a thank you for training the girl. It was a wonderful start, but her childhood wouldn’t last long.

2. She Had A Difficult Childhood. Mr. and Mrs. Roberts divorced when Julia was four years old, despite their common love of the performing arts. And, boy, did her childhood go worse from there. Roberts’ mother Betty remarried a man called Michael Motes less than a year later—and he was bad news. The siblings’ new stepfather, according to Roberts’ brother Eric, was “abusive.”

3. She despised her stepfather. Roberts has already stated that she despises her new stepfather. He didn’t stay in the picture for long, which was fortunate for her. Julia’s mother Betty Lou filed for divorce from her second husband shortly after giving birth to a daughter, citing cruelty as the cause for the breakup. Julia had already graduated from high school when all of this occurred. Yeesh.

4. She Had To Say Goodbye To Someone She Loved. On top of that, Julia’s biological father died of throat cancer when she was just 10 years old.

5. She Relocated To A Bigger City. Julia’s sailing got a little easier throughout her teenage years, thankfully. She played the clarinet in the band and aspired to be a veterinarian, demonstrating her bright side. But after she graduated from her little Georgia high school, all of that was put on hold. Roberts relocated to New York City in 1985, signed with a modeling agency, and began acting lessons.

7. She was in a relationship with a heartthrob. Before starring in Satisfaction with Irish heartthrob Liam Neeson, Roberts had tiny TV parts. Neeson and Roberts immediately developed an intense romance in one of Hollywood’s best “wait, they dated?” stories. There was just one problem: Neeson was 35 years old, while Roberts was only 19. Despite their vast age difference, the new couple moved in together at breakneck speed—only to break up after a year.

This was the first of Roberts’ many dramatic relationships, in retrospect.

8. She Achieved Stardom. Julia Roberts found time to star in her breakout role while juggling her whirlwind romance with the father from Taken. Her famous coming-of-age picture Mystic Pizza made her a star in 1988. She became an overnight sensation after her release. Roberts claimed to know the precise minute she became famous. And it’s…a lot stranger than you may expect.

9. She Was Surrounded By Strangers. Roberts claims she discovered she was famous in a very sophisticated setting: a public restroom. When a girl approached Roberts in a stall, she asked if she’d been to Mystic Pizza. Roberts responded that she had, only for the girl to beg for her autograph and slip a napkin under the cubicle door, leaving Roberts perplexed. Roberts, naturally, requested that she wait until she was finished with her business in the restroom.

10. Her Following Film Was A Nightmare. Roberts landed another high-profile role in the iconic sobfest Steel Magnolias after breaking out in Mystic Pizza. This film is known for being sad, yet the production was very wild behind the scenes. The film’s director, according to Shirley MacLaine, was awful to everyone, but he “went after Julia with a fury” despite the fact that it was one of her first major roles.

11. The Director Was Angry with Her. Ross chastised all of his performers, including telling veteran actresses that they couldn’t act. Everyone agreed, though, that he was the toughest on Roberts. He didn’t simply make fun of her performance; he also made fun of her appearance. Sally Field claimed that he despised Roberts’ beauty marks and advised her to have her “warts” and “moles” removed. Roberts, unsurprisingly, broke down in tears after a long day on set.

12. She Fell For Her Co-Star. Steel Magnolias, on the other hand, wasn’t all horrible. During filming, Roberts replaced Liam Neeson with Dylan McDermott, a hot young actor. In the film, he played her fiancé, and their chemistry was plainly seen off-screen as well. McDermott asked Roberts to marry him because they were so in love. She replied yes, but they wouldn’t be together for long…

13. She became a leading lady at the age of thirteen. Mystic Pizza and Steel Magnolias were terrific roles for Roberts, but it was Vivian, the call girl with a golden heart, in Pretty Woman that put her on the map. Roberts was immediately thrust onto the A-List with the release of the film in 1990. She was a legitimate star and an Oscar nominee at the tender age of 22. But things weren’t that lovely behind the scenes.

14. Julia Roberts Dumped Her Fiancé Buckle up, reader because we’re about to embark on a rollercoaster ride through Julia Roberts and Kiefer Sutherland’s romance. Roberts executed another romantic switch on the set of his next film, the spooky thriller Flatliners. She soon returned her engagement ring to Dylan McDermott and began dating Kiefer Sutherland, her co-star. Sutherland, on the other hand, arrived with bags. There was a lot of it.

15. She Fell For ANOTHER Co-Star, When Roberts met up with Kiefer Sutherland, he wasn’t exactly accessible. He was already married to another woman, and he was also the father of a young child. Despite this, young love is on its way. Roberts divorced his wife and started seeing his new lover. Roberts was ecstatic about her new beau. For the time being, at least.