Julia Roberts Full Interview (2000) | Film Discussion

I am pleased to have Julia Roberts on this program at long last. Well, thank you. Great to have you. Thank you. This has got to be because of your personal life, because of making movies you enjoy doing, because they're well received, because Hollywood is recognizing you in the same par with every with the highest paid people, the best of times. Well, yeah, and I and I'm old enough to appreciate it. I think I have I have awareness enough to recognize the blessing as it unfolds. Yeah. You said something interesting. Almost like that once you were talking about pretty woman. And you said today you were 20 pounds lighter, thinner or something, and 60 times smarter. Something like that. I think I said I weigh about 20 pounds less. I know about 50 things. OK, that's better. Yeah, I remember. It's been. What did you mean? Well, you know, it's it's funny to be in a profession where you're constantly judged, critiqued, scrutinized, however you want to classify it. I've always been very, I think, rather adept at self-observation and certainly as pretty woman is a marker in my career and so many people bring it up still today. And I think I said that at a press conference or something and people were talking about pretty woman. And, you know, it's really a different person almost because it's the difference between a 20 year old girl new in the world of show business and a 32 year old woman who knows exactly what she wants and why she wants it and and how she wants to live her life is part of the success you've had. You think, in part, just because of that, you have always had a clear sense of who you were and what you want. Well, I think I always had a clear sense of my motivation within this business. I mean, I went through the complete adolescent, early 20s insecurities, kind of grappling at identity and and all that sort of thing that I think most people do or should. Yeah. And but I always had a really strong sense of why I wanted to make movies, what it was about that appealed to me, what that driving force was all about. Help me understand. Why do you want to make movies? What's that driving force? Well, I love it, and I think that my motivations are not only pure motivations and really simple motivations. They've been consistent. They've never changed from the excitement that I got when Aaron Brockovich came together with Soderbergh and everything else. It's that same excitement as when I got Mystic Pizza. Excitement that, you know, this is a thing that's right for me. This is a role. This is a combination of director and actor. That's right for me or property. What? Well, it's kind of all of it. It's it's I got a job that I really like. And I'm excited about working with these people. And, you know, now when I got Mystic Pizza, it was also I can pay my rent, you know, which isn't part of it now. But it's still just as exciting. And so, I mean, I think that that is, you know, for that kind of excitement to stand the test of time and the test of the whirlwind, which is popular media. That's a pretty strong sense of excitement. When you find the sort of place that you are now, I mean, look at all this. This is Harper's Bazaar. This, I guess, the issue that's on the newsstand about you. And this is this would have probably been except for this tragedy, probably a cover story in Newsweek, the 20 million dollar woman at 32. Roberts is the most powerful and the highest paid actress in Hollywood, the star of the triumphant new movie. Erin Brockovich talks about the view from the top. Do you find that as you have so many things going well, you also feel so good about yourself that you want to work less or more? Well, that's not really the motivator. I think it's certainly in the last few years. I feel a strong sense of security to be as selective as I can possibly be. But I think that it will always be about the peace as it comes to me. And if it if it sucks me in and draws my attention so much that I can't turn away from it, even if I want to take a break and say, OK, you know, I'm just going to take it easy for a while. But then if I read that script that really clicks with me, well, then I'm just compelled to do it. Is that what happened in there, Brockovich? Well, yes, because I didn't I didn't really want to work. And now my point and I had to Mexico look very attractive, very attractive and a long nap and a bath and all those things because I had done Notting Hill and then Runaway Bride very close to season almost. And I was really, you know, and I had read the script for Aaron Brockovich. And then I heard that Steven Soderbergh was interested in directing it. And that got me all excited because I'd gone out of sight. And he'd also sexualized videotape. And he's such a great director. So he came out to Baltimore where I was filming and met with me. And, you know, I was so intrigued at the idea of him being my lord and master over this domain. And I said, well, you know, maybe this was I think we're having this conversation in January. And I said, well, what about November, December? And he said, maybe, but probably may. And but I couldn't I couldn't turn away from it. I couldn't turn away from him, really. Was Finney part of it? Well, Finney came later. Steven got me in the thick of it. And then Finney came on. And just that man is I adore him on every level imaginable. You have a reputation for, according to what I read, for loving, for for being fun to be with on the set, for enjoying the process, for someone who who takes it seriously, but also has a great time making movies. Well, it's too long a day not to enjoy yourself. And you do have to. I take it very seriously, and I think that I'm a very focused person. But I think that there's always room for fun and camaraderie. And on this particular movie, which was, I must say, to no detraction from anybody else that I've ever been in the company of at work. But this was from A to Z of what you tabulate a good experience on. This was 100 percent on all fronts. And the most important is you're in sync with the director and with your co. So in sync. But in every way, we all share Finney and Eckhart and Soderbergh and myself and the crew and all the great actors that came in to do all the other parts. We had so many terrific actors. Everybody had the same spirit of joy and the same spirit of really happy to be there. And I think this was that perfect experience that makes you understand everything that's come before, because everything that's come before in all of its positive and in some of its frustration, everything else has prepared you perfectly for this moment. And that's how I felt every day on this movie. I would assume you just signed this terrific deal, I guess, with Joe Roth and left Disney to form his own production company. And it's a five, whatever it is, five or six picture, whatever the deal is. But you can now say, I know what it is I like, and I'm going to try to make that happen, both in terms of choosing projects, choosing a director. Yes. Well, I've always had this strange sense of pickiness, even when pickiness. Well, you know, when I when I didn't work for two years, I was twenty three. And even though I had been given a certain amount of support and had appreciated a certain amount of success, I really wanted to be so specific about the things that I did that I ended up not working for two years because nothing intrigued me in that way that I was really looking for. And so it wasn't until I did the Pelican brief that I went back. So I've I've even when I, you know, even when I was like talking out of the side of my head and I thought people might stop asking me to make their movies. I always had that kind of sense of it's it's a really important moment to say, you'll you'll make a movie and it has to be appreciated and respected for that. Even though people were saying to you, maybe someone was saying, listen, you better get back on the boards. You refuse to choose something that you didn't feel perfectly good about. Yeah. And I was also really fortunate because I wasn't getting pressure from people. People were really supporting my decision to, you know, and even though some scripts would come down the pike and and I wouldn't have a very high opinion and other people would have a higher opinion. And I, you know, I was I always felt very supported in my stance when they brought you Pelican brief. You suggested, Denzel. Yeah, I did. I just I had this epiphany and I was in Europe and I called Kula and I said, I have this idea for Greg Grantham. And he said, you know, what is it? And I didn't I didn't know how he'd respond because it's it's you know, we were talking about a lot of really great capable actors. And, you know, Denzel just came to me and I said, Denzel Washington, and it was this long pause. And he goes, yes, why? Oh, OK, good. Now he's with me. So then we took it to the studio and everybody just I mean, it was irresistible. He's such a brilliant actor. And I was just so pleased and stunned and thrilled that he agreed to do it. I want to come back to that and all these other things. But but Aaron Brockovich, that you sign on with Soderbergh, then you get Finney and then you start to do it in April and May rather than November and December. And so you're on board. You this is based on a real life person. This is based on two real life people and a real life lawsuit. Did you spend much time sort of debriefing these people at all to find out what she was like? Or did you take all of your instruction from the script? Well, Stephen and a writer called Richard Le Gravinet did. He's fabulous. And they did a major overhaul revamp. We've really just ringing all the best elements of the truth of this story out of the piece. And Soderbergh was really my liaison to the real Aaron Brockovich. And he interviewed her and he would send me transcriptions and tapes and all these things to review. And I I couldn't understand it first because originally I said, you know, well, when can I go meet her and where is she? And he said, well, you know, just hold off on that. And he kept putting me off. And I think he just all that energy in one room probably would have been too much for anybody to bear. But he was really great in feeding the information, really giving me a strong sense of her where I felt really liberated to because you can't be someone. I can't be Aaron Brockovich. I can't look exactly like this woman. What can you do? Well, I can interpret her as closely and as accurately as I can. That's what acting is about. Well, it was for me because I don't want to do an imitation of somebody. That's not I don't do imitations. I'm not good at that. And I felt like there was a method to Stevens keeping us apart for so long, which he did. And I think it was ultimately really smart. And when I kind of saw what he was doing, I realized how clever it really was. And I think that it really freed me to really go the distance with the information that I had. But he had told you what she's like. I mean, he gave me a sense that this was a this was a smart, savvy, tough. Yeah. Oh, very coming from a vulnerable place because she had kids, but determined and taking no prisoners in terms of the fact that this was as a wonderful moment in which she's talking to the kind of character that plays. But the guy was George. And there's a moment in which he basically saying to him when he's saying this job is all consuming. She said, you don't know what this means to me. I felt very, very well informed by Steven. Very. And then when you met her, she came on the set, she has a little walk on. Oh, yeah, was she what? Everything you imagined her to be or that Steven had said she was or was she less or more of something? Well, I had seen lots of pictures of her, so I knew what she looked like and beautiful. And the day on the whole for me was heinous. It was terrible. It was heinous. Well, I was so. Well, first of all, I knew she was coming. I was sort of I knew she was coming, but it was one of those days where we were shooting other things and then we were doing this scene. And and I had come into the makeup trailer for a tweak and she was in there and just boom, she was there. And I was like, all of a sudden, I wasn't even in the same room. And I wasn't even Brockovich. You know, I had on my sweatpants and like a T-shirt and, you know, and I was like, you know, and I kind of fumbled through an introduction and and whatever. And then when she came to the set and she was in the scene, I was so consumed with the idea of what is she thinking? What? Thank goodness. It's a very simple thing about seeing you. What do you think about seeing this portrayal of her life? All of it. All of it. Here I am pretending to be her here. These people are pretending to be her children. We're pretending that this is her life. Like, what is she thinking? And she seemed so calm and collected that you couldn't read. You know, you couldn't read excitement. You couldn't read nervousness. She was just very cool. And I thought, oh, and I was I was the antithesis of that. I was just completely wrecked. This is great. All right. The first scene we see is when George, the aforementioned George, played well by Aaron Eckhart, tries to get your phone number. This guy is a biker. Yeah. And next door. And who moves in next door and there's some little bit of wondering if we bother you. And here it is. And then he sort of moves in period and becomes an interesting counterpoint to you. Roll tape. Well, nothing about acting that if you are, in fact, an actor and somebody gives you those kind of fun lines, it can make your job. Well, that was always one of my favorite scenes when I come out in the yard and he's got the bike and the whole thing. It's a great two characters meeting in a movie for the first time setting up the whole relationship that will exist throughout. Yeah. All right. We're going to see another role. This is tell me the story, which is an interesting story of who Aaron Brockovich is. Answering this question is the most challenging part of having made this movie, because it's very complex. It's really on the the the two plus two equals for one liner is it's a single mother of three unemployed. Cannot catch a break with a net. You know, it's just really struggling. Can't get a job. Cannot get anything. And she gets into a car accident. Hires a lawyer, Ed Masri, played geniusly by Howard and they go to trial, don't win. And she's so disheartened now that she basically goes to him and sort of demand slash begs for a job. Yeah. And it's first and then begs. Yeah. It's within that law office environment that she stumbles upon things that she doesn't understand and in really pursuing and researching and being very diligent at her job, which no one thinks that she is uncovers water contamination in a town called Hinkley by Pacific gas in which is doing terrible things to the children of the residents. It's it's making everybody sick, making everybody sick. The interesting thing about this to me is that I asked friends before I saw the movie, is this or is this another Roberts romantic comedy? Is it no as it is it a drama? They said, well, yes, in the end, especially. But is it a comedy said, well, yeah, there's some great lines. So it's all of those things. It is part of a romantic comedy, but not a light romantic comedy like Notting Hill. Well, there's it just has has a little bit of everything. But what what attracted you to the character? Was it just this is a ball busting woman that I could learn to love? Yeah. I just thought you could just tear this up. You know, it's the way you can tear this up, meaning that this is stuff I can get into. Yeah. Make some money. Have fun. There's so much to play. There's the mother to play. There's the activist to play. There's the, you know, office worker to play. There's the girlfriend to play. There's there's the wardrobe to play. There's this language to see the wardrobe in just the next clip. Did you is it part you too? I mean, you see a little bit of saying, I know you're interpreting character. I know. But is that part of you that you saw? I mean, I like this woman so much because I see some of myself in any of that, even though I would like to think that injustice bothers me as much as it bothers her. I don't know if I would have the courage or tenacity to pursue it so doggedly as she did. I would like to think that if I was put in this situation that I would. But I don't know. I love the fact that she had such confidence, even when she went from this position of total vulnerability to she walks in this law office and then she gets on this whole thing. But even before she found this, even before she found her footing, even before she found traction within the firm, I mean, she had a little level of self-esteem, a level of something. Confidence, bravado, bravado is what it is. That's exactly what it is. Roll tape. First scene. That line was there. That was in your head. Yeah. Now, I thought we would see, though, is a skirt. I mean, Aaron wore micro skirts. Well, apparently long legs of which. Yes. I asked Soderbergh when we were doing the press junket, I said, because people kept asking me, has she seen the movie? Which I didn't know the answer to. So I passed Soderbergh in the hallway and I said, has she seen this movie? And he said, yeah. And I said, well, what did she think as people keep asking me? He said she loved it. Her only complaint was that your skirts were too long. And, you know, and they're and they're not very long. Yeah. Plus, it also seemed everything seemed to be there was cleavage. There was lots of lots of cleavage. Yeah. Cleavage for days. Cleavage for days. All right. Let me just there's one other thing here. We want to show no one. Well, there are several more, but this is the last one. Knowing that you had bad viral information case, this is where you go and try to get a raise. Still, we're early into this thing, but but roll tape into another scene between Julia Roberts and Albert Finney. Roll tape. We were just talking with anyone. We're watching that. And how when you work with someone who's got such a reputation, I said, you are watching it. You want to go back and watch the old movies? And and you said that. But also, you found out that this guy is even more in person. And then you said he sent you a note. He just when we finished this movie, which was really a sad day for all of us, it's kind of startlingly breaking up a family. It was really, really hard on everybody. And Finney had come up to me on that last day and grabbed me and gave me one of those big hard hugs where you feel like a person's going to break your bones, you know, and just like kind of was saying in my ear with that great raspy voice. And he was like, you know, it's been great and just really effusive and really dear and what he was saying to me. And then a few weeks later, I received a note from him in the mail. And I'll never forget it. And I hope he doesn't mind me sharing it. It was just the dearest thing. He wrote me this note. And at the end, he said there was one line from the movie that was excluded. But I always wanted to say it. So I'll say it now. You are my sovereign queen. Wow. From Albert Finney. My sovereign queen. That's just that's it. I'm done. Right. You don't need to do any more. Oh, that's great. Yeah. Look, I'm all like blushy to see you. You are my sovereign queen. Would you write back and say, well, I think I ended up talking to him on the phone. And but he does. He treats me like a queen. He totally does. When I saw him at the press junket, he brought me Irish soda bread, which is my favorite thing. And he brought some for me all the way from Europe. Isn't that sweet? This film that I have seen and that you made and that Soderbergh directed. Is it the movie that you see that you everything that you wanted it to be? In other words, you don't have any complaints about the way it turned out at all. No, no. He put the movie together. You like it. Everything worked out. He I had every faith in Soderbergh. And when I saw this movie, I saw it at a I don't know what you call it, preview screen. And it happened to be my boyfriend's birthday. And so I said, I hate to impede on your birthday celebration, but will you go fly with me to this town so we can go see Aaron Brockovich? Because we're both equally excited to see it. And so off we went to see it. And when it was over, first of all, it's kind of bizarre because there's so much of me in it that I feel almost a little overwhelmed by just my own self. The movie was over and Benjamin Soderbergh and I were out in the parking lot and we were just vibrating with excitement. It wasn't even like I could really say to Steven, you did a great job or this I really like or this was really good. It was just an overall sense of I was just really vibrating with excitement that everyone had to. All the actors in this movie are so good. I just was like I was levitating in the parking lot, you know. And it's so nice to be able to feel just openly and and without shame, pride in something that you've participated in. The best thing you think you've ever done? Oh, absolutely. Absolute. Absolutely. But also the most I've ever been offered to do. So it's not that, you know, I was slinging crap before. No, but this is the most complex person and scenario upon scenario upon scenario. And also, Steven really demands excellence. He wants what he wants. And what was lovely about our working relationship is we fell in sync so quickly that it just was there between us all the time, what he wanted and what I had to offer was just really in sync. Can you look at movies that you feel this way about and movies that didn't work so well in box office, box office and see why? I mean, you know why, for example, Michael Collins, a film that I like because I like history and because I like Liam and because I like you, but didn't do that well, the box office reasons I don't quite know because. Well, that's an example of just a crying shame. I think that movie not being seen by more people. And it doesn't matter about money, but it's just too bad that more people didn't see it because it's a great story. Neil Jordan is a great director. He wrote a beautiful screenplay. Exactly my point. It is visually stunning. If there's any role that Mike Liam should play, it's that. Yeah, the big fella. Yeah, the big fella. It's a beautiful, beautiful movie. And it's a pity that more people weren't exposed to it. And I don't know. That's a movie that I I wouldn't have an answer as to why. I mean, perhaps people weren't drawn to it because it seemed historical. And but they they're they're missing how compelling that history was and what a great drama Neil wrote in the screenplay of his life. When I mean, see, I like Pelican brief, too, you know, and I didn't think it had done so well. I realized later did more than 100 million dollars and did well, I guess, overseas or whatever it did. I call it the pelican that laid the golden egg. Why do you say that? Just because that's a movie that just constantly is making money till the end of time. It's because of John Grisham. Maybe it's because of you, maybe because of Denzel. But I said to Denzel, gee, I mean, I said to him a couple of weeks ago, I like this, even though I'm thinking that most people didn't like it, thinking that I'm just going to say this is the way I felt and thinking he'd probably be pleased because it was his purse. He looked at me like, what was wrong with that movie? I mean, why doesn't everybody like it? I mean, you know, it's actually it's a movie that I have a lot of people talk to me about on the street or the bus or whatever. You know, Pelican was on television that night. And I just yeah, people like that. Do you have in your own head those that mean the most to you? I mean, Pretty Woman, I assume, means a lot because it was a, as you say, a moment in your career, professional career. Well, but it meant a lot before it was even that to me, because it was one of those just really remarkable times. And it was so much fun making the movie. And I felt like I worked really hard and had such a nice time. And it was just a really valuable experience for me as a person and as an actor. So it it what it is to me today is what it was for me the day I wrapped that movie. Pelican Brief is is another major moment in my life because it was the first movie that I'd done in two years. And to work with Pukula, who I loved and miss so much. And to work with Sam again. It was so great. The only person we know who you said, oh, he's the only person that you've worked twice with Sam Shepard. Yeah. And he played my boyfriend. It was all scandalous. I love that. And and then, of course, Denzel rounding out the perfection of of a summer that I just my life would be incomplete without. What was the time like between? Did you make Phil Magnolias before you made Mystic Pizza? No, I made Mystic Pizza and then still. OK, because I thought I thought they came out that way. But but so that was the order you made them as well as the order they came out. Because I knew that they'd come out that way. But I thought maybe you'd make still my did did still Mystic Pizza help you get still Magnolias? Or did they hire you before Mystic Pizza had come out? You know, I can't remember. However, there is a sense that a really strong sense I had back then was just talking about this to a friend the other day that that whole early period of time was really a moment of me feeling as though work begets work, because I had done a movie called Satisfaction. And then shortly after that, got a movie for HBO called Baja, Oklahoma, with Peter Coyote. Yeah, there's a second person. Also, that's why there's two. Right. And then right after that did Mystic Pizza. So it's that. And I don't know if it's something that a person does when they come into a room and they can say, well, I've just finished this film, you know, down in the Carolinas. Yeah. And before it comes out and people know. But and, you know, so maybe there's a confidence because it just seemed like I would get a job and I would finish it and then I would get another job just and then another. And so I did those three movies, Satisfaction, Baja, Oklahoma and Mystic Pizza, all kind of in a row. Yeah, that was a year that I worked and then and then did Steel Magnolias and then did Pretty Woman. Yeah, but but you got all these awards because of Steel Magnolias. You've got nominations up your kazoo. Right. Yeah. And you were the only one. And you had a lot of talent in that room. Well, but I think that's the best example, the most obvious example to me that there's no such thing as a singular achievement in movies. So my name can be on the little statue, but there's that movie specifically without those women. I would never have delivered the performance that was appreciated without Sally and Shirley, Olympia, Dolly, Daryl. It's because of them that I was able to achieve what I achieved in that film. And the recognition that I received for that was was a group effort. It was no singular achievement at all. What is it they give you? Unconditional support. All of them. And also, they put they raise the level, the standard pretty high. You know, well, among the best. Therefore, you better rise up. Exactly. And if you rise up to that level, you're going to have a lot of support to try and take chances to be even better than you might imagine. Well, and to feel as you know, most of my scenes were with Sally, who I had met because I had done a movie that her husband at the time had produced. So I had actually met her once. And when I went in for like my last audition on Steel Magnolias, there had been like three or something. And then the last one I went in, she was there. And I'll never forget. She said, oh, it's so nice to see you again. I thought, oh, that would be able to remember me. And it was so exciting. And it really made me feel, you know, Sally would say at the Academy Awards. And and all through the making of the movie, she always just made me feel like I was either doing it well or, you know, and just but encouraging me in the in the best, most loving way and making me feel like her peer. And it really it just really elevated my participation, I think you had no sense, no sense that when you went to to make what became Pretty Woman, which was in begin was what called three three thousand three thousand, which is what the amount of money she made for the evening or something for the weekend, for the week, for the week or the week, whatever it was. You had no sense of this, had this power. You know, this film was made like five hundred million dollars. I know. And did you? You know? Yeah. But did you guys have any sense with the Gary understand it? Or did gear understand after that when you finished and wrap this thing up? That this somehow, folks, we don't know why, but it's come together to be something pretty damn good. Well, the best way to answer that question is to relay a story that I was told where and don't misunderstand. We had so much fun making this movie, right? We were happy people. But when we finished and Gary put the movie together as sort of rough assembly or whatever, he had called two of the people that worked on the movie to come over and see it. And as the story was told to me, these two people said, you know, let's have lunch before we go see the movie. And they had lunch to sit and talk about it. Now, if it's really, really bad, we'll just tell him, you know, Gary, we had fun. We all loved each other. It doesn't matter who cares. You know, it doesn't matter. You know, that's how much they were prepared for it not to be good because it was pretty chaotic. We didn't we didn't have we I mean, we were halfway through the movie and we still didn't have a really finished script and we were making stuff up left over. Right. And just kind of like, well, you know, and but it was fun. And Gary must have done magical things in the editing room. Well, what I say about Gary is that we make because we shot so much stuff making this movie, we made ten movies and seven of them were unwatchable. Two of them good on TV. Yeah. And Gary found one that's there. Yeah. Do you fall in love and have you fallen in love more than once with people that you're acting? Well, yeah. Yeah, man. Have you seen any of my movies? Yes, I have. But I mean, like Kiefer, you fell in love with. Oh, that kind of. Oh, yeah, that kind of. Oh, no, no, no, no. I don't mean that. I mean, is it something for you, you about the movie set that sort of makes you? Well, I don't think so, because the two the two people that I've loved in my life, I didn't meet on a movie set. Lyle and Benjamin and Benjamin, the two people you've loved in your life. You didn't meet on a movie set. OK, so what was the rest of about then you had to have relationships that were they were not that you were not madly in love, Charlie? It's called being 20, being flirty, having a good time. I mean, this is simple math, honey. All right. Well, just explain. Yeah. No, it's it's called. It's just having fun. It's recreation. It's having fun. I mean, it's not frivolous. No. But but it's not the marrying kind. It's having fun and it's it's working nonstop. I mean, my question was because I couldn't understand some of the early scrutiny about me dating a person that I work with. But I was working constantly. So who did people expect me to meet? The only person you met were people were in the movie business. And also the only people that asked me out or whatever it was. But I just thought, why is it unusual that an actor would go out with an actor? It seemed an odd criticism. But yeah, there you have criticism. I just think of it as well. You're sweet. It was generally criticism from other people. It can be. I can't. But I think that does it make it more fun if you're having a great love affair with somebody on the set while you're making a movie with him? Well, more interesting. Not necessarily. We're really getting down to brass tacks now. We're going right into it, aren't we? Yeah. Yeah. Runaway Bride, did you have the same chemistry with Richard that you did in the first one? Was it there still? Well, it was different. I think it was a little more mature. A little. We had two adults now. Yeah. Yeah. I can vote now. Take that. Anyway, I'll take that. No, it's a big difference. Ten years. And I think that it was really bizarre. Very kind of just ripe for Freudian analysis, I always thought. And ripe for Freudian analysis. Yeah. But again, the thing that I think really comes across as that people define as chemistry between Richard and I is that is again, it's that energy that flows between us that is just tangible. It just is really strong and apparent. And I think that's what makes this chemistry thing happen. Same thing with Denzel and, you know, same kind of sense of chemistry. Yeah, definitely. I mean, two people who click. But you on stage, you want to watch these two people. There was something magical about them, though. Well, and with Denzel, I love him so much and I love watching him work. I think that he is a master of his craft. And it was so funny one day because we were doing Pelican Brief and there was a scene where I'm supposed to be that was hysterical in this alley. And he's trying to hold me up and I'm crying and I'm freaking out. I'm like vomiting or whatever I'm doing. And Pukula says, you know, don't really push it or whatever, because we're going to be way back here. We'll barely even see you. And I don't want you to put yourself through it. And I was like, oh, OK, fine. You know, I mean, I'm talking on the phone. I'm watching TV. They call me to the set and I go out there and the camera's right there. No, it's so close. Oh, yeah. I'm just like, I said, Alan, Alan, this is a long shot. This is well, you know, we we change things around. I'm like, oh, my God. And I start panicking. And I turned and I was like, oh, my God, what am I going to do? Because he knew what I've been told him before. I was like, oh, my God, what do I do? What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? And he said, you know, act. Hello. You're an actress. And I was so like, oh, God, there's a thought, you know, and pulled it off. But I pulled it off more just by Denzel being so pragmatic about it. And it really, yeah, his direction got me through. I left. I did everything. And I have that was, you know, up until Aaron Brockovich, Pelican Creek was the experience that I held out as the one to beat in my personal experiences, because it was so idyllic and so creative and fun and supportive. And, you know, shooting nights in New Orleans, what can be more fun? And he really led, led the parade of that movie. Here is Alan Pakula talking about you. When I read the book, when I read the treatment outline, I saw Julia. And when I went down, I talked to John Grisham and he said, well, you you're seeing Julia because I'm seeing Julia as I write it. And I had met with Julia a few months before that, just having seen her in a couple of pictures, including Pretty Woman. And I felt I'd love to work with her. And we had three hours together and just talking about life. And I felt this was somebody I can communicate with. There are wonderful actors you should work with and wonderful actors you shouldn't work with. You just don't have that spark together. So I saw this was very right for her. I was fascinated by it for other reasons, like the idea of one person taking on the establishment and winning. And a lot of my films, obviously, it's a great fantasy of mine. And and so I went to Julia and I said, this is absolutely right for you. I said I needed somebody who was strong, but also very vulnerable. And I needed somebody who was bright enough to do this. Nice. The two movies that you did before Nightingale and Runaway Bride. Tell me about night. Great, fun, whimsy and another script I didn't want to do. You know, I didn't want to go back to work and you don't want to go back. Well, I was relaxing. Now, this was after you and Ben had come together and you were madly in love. Yes. And I was relaxing and with my thoughts, happy at home and was given the, as they would say, pitch of this sort of thumbnail sketch of what this script was about on the telephone. And I thought, what? Yes. You know. Right. And then I read the script and it was so charming and so funny that I just thought, how can I not do this? You make these decisions. You're not on the phone. You're not comparing. You know, you don't bring in a bunch of people that you trust. It is sort of it has to hit you in the gut before you listen to people's opinions. But I'm I have to make the decision. I mean, I've made people made movies that other people didn't think I should make. And I've not made movies that other people thought I should make. And but ultimately, I have to feel it because I have to do it. And then I'm the one that has to really put the ice cream on Mel Gibson's bottom. Both equally. We were talking about Rupert Everett, who's also recently was here. He's writing a script. He's written a couple of scripts, but he's been writing something they might want you to do or something. Yes. Well, that's what he threatens. Are you going to do it or not do it? Yeah, it's good. I tell him it's no good. I won't do it. But yeah, no, he's he's working on something for us. And I just was talking to him the other day and and I'm constantly saying, you know, where is it? Where is it? It's coming. It was busy acting. But but yeah, no, he's so smart and funny. And I love acting with Rupert so much that it would be great if he wrote something where you could have had that role in Madonna. But there are lots of other people. But I also thought that, you know, that was, you know, Rupert and I need to pick our next moment. And I think it needs to be very smart because the characters that we played, my best friend's wedding were such great characters. And their chemistry was so terrific. And that whole rapport. So we want to really find something that's really original and fabulous and interesting to do with our next. So back to where we began after this hour. So you are the most powerful celebrity. Somebody said you are. You have just made a movie that you love and think your best work. You love spending time in New Mexico. You have a wonderful relationship that's nourishing for you. You probably are as happy as you've ever been. I saw a wonderful picture of you and your mom together. I guess that's a. You're everything that she dreamed she. You would be when you left Smyrna at 16 or 17 or 18 or whatever you were to come to New York. How do you use this power? What is it? What's the fantasy? Well, first of all, the idea of power, so. Abstract and unconscious. I'm not consciously powerful. I'm saying you don't sit around and say I'm powerful, but you. However, there is a moment where as a responsible adult, you have to acknowledge that power and you have to acknowledge that you have some kind of effect in the world, whether it be in your own home with your family or walking in the street. And the person that comes up to you, even though you've got groceries hanging off and the phone's going and the whole thing, you know, you have to have some sense of respecting the position that you've been blessed to hold. I am infinitely grateful for the path that I'm on, and I wake up happy almost every day. So think about children. I do. Well, I've been asked about it quite a lot. Having three kids and Aaron Brockovich and because my boyfriend is so dreamy, so I get asked a lot, but it's certainly something. I mean, I think family is incredibly important. And I have a really beautiful family. So to make it bigger one of these days is certainly great. Thank you. Thank you, Charlie. Julia Roberts for the hour. Thank you for joining us. See you next time.