Julia Roberts Reveals Why She’s Difficult on Set
Julia Roberts has a reputation in Hollywood for being difficult to work with. During the early years of her career, the Pretty Woman alum revealed in a new British Vogue cover interview why she got the rep. The star famously clashed with director Steven Spielberg during 1991’s Hook, where the award-winning actress played Tinkerbell. It was later claimed that Julia was referred to as “Tinkerhell” on the set. Spielberg even said during an appearance on 60 Minutes: “It was not a great time for Julia and I to be working together.” When asked if he would ever work with her again, he retorted while laughing, “This is a 60 Minutes question, isn’t it?”
A few years later, Julia admitted to not getting along with her I Love Trouble co-star Nick Nolte. Since then, it has been reported that she has clashed with everybody from Hugh Grant to Meryl Streep. In her new British Vogue feature, Roberts explained why she consciously wasn’t “too friendly” on set. While interviewed by director Richard Curtis, whom she worked with on Notting Hill, he recalled a conversation with Roberts during their time filming the 1999 rom-com. He said Roberts thinks someone “will always slightly take advantage” of her kindness. To further protect herself, she doesn’t like when people act “so familiar” with her. Elsewhere in the interview, Julia acknowledged that because of her personality, she can sometimes come across as “really harsh,” but she insisted that she never intends to hurt people’s feelings.
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Also in her interview, Roberts explained why she has famously declined to do racy roles and fully nude scenes. Even in the iconic Pretty Woman, Roberts remained fully clothed and covered in all scenes, despite playing a prostitute. She called her career “G-rated” and added that her choosing not to take her clothes off and being “vulnerable in physical ways” is a choice she made for herself. She further stated that her stance on nudity in films could be linked to her biological connection to feminist icon Gloria Steinem. Steinem is a journalist and social-political activist who emerged in the late ’60s.
