Julia Roberts

Gone from Georgia?

Yeah.

I did get called in to a couple of agencies, and there was an agency called Click Models.

God, I completely forgot about this.

You have jogged a piece of the puzzle out of my mind.

Yeah, let's get into it.

And I did go meet a really nice woman there.

I don't think so.

That doesn't sound good at all.

No, it was click modeling.

Click like a camera click.

There's no flicking.

Click and flick.

he's 11 years older than i am so he was he was he had a career yeah by the time i graduated from high school but to answer your question everybody was sort of leaving home to go to school yeah and i did not want to be like okay i'll see you guys when you get back right right right here in my mom's apartment nobody worry what about college you said college wasn't a thing for you why was that

It wasn't financially feasible, and I certainly didn't have the grades for any kind of a scholarship.

I'd relied on them once already.

I just felt like I didn't want them to have to support me the whole way around.

I think I probably would at that time, because you have to remember this is...

1985, I graduated from high school, and I probably would have wanted to be a home economics teacher.

Something I'm happy to bring back into the school system now, if asked.

So many things.

I'm glad you asked.

No, it was such a great class because it covered, it was like, yeah, sewing, but it was like sewing, mending.

It was practical things.

You learn how to write a check.

You learn how to sew on a button.

You learn how to iron a shirt.

No, I learned how to knit.

From the standby painter on the Pelican Brief, Eric Bart taught me how to knit.

You don't know it until you know it.

Well, I would say there's a yes and a no here because I feel like a lot of the things that I learned from my mom, I either learned because like you, long list of chores that started right when I got home from school and paused only to watch the Mike Douglas show and then right back to the chores.

Mike Douglas.

I mean.

No, you couldn't possibly, even in your.

No.

Not the Phil Donahue.

A Phil Donahue.

You just said so many things in one sentence.

Crime Story.

Dennis Farina, 1950s, Michael Mann TV show in Las Vegas.

Dennis Farina, the nicest man you could imagine.

And... What was your character?

I was a 15-year-old girl living with my mother, played by Hannah Cox, and her, I feel like, kind of newish husband, and he was maybe not being a good stepfather to me.

If you catch my...

I'm really bringing the mood down with this.

This is no weatherman turned porn star story.

But yeah, so did that.

And that was a great experience.

And, you know, but...

Oh, yes.

Oh, it was huge.

It was huge.

That sounds nice, the way you put all that.

Somebody jot that down.

Well, you know what it is, too?

He's bundling it.

Just to say, I met... There was an agent.

I was with my brother and his girlfriend coming from dinner one night.

And, you know, they lived uptown, and so they sort of ran into some people they knew and...

One of the women they were chatting with was a talent agent.

And she, I don't know if she called my brother later or his girlfriend or something and said, oh, you know, does she act?

And she called me into her office.

And after a nice conversation, she said, well, I can't do anything for you.

Wow.

I know someone who might be able to guide you here.

And she sent me to meet this man called Bob McGowan, who was from Atlantic City and was dating the star of all my children, Kim Delaney.

Yes, I know.

And he was just this, he seemed to me to be

the nicest, most energetic guy with time and money to spare, and he loved helping young people realize their dreams.

I mean, he became my manager.

I once went into his office and said, Bob, I was at the Empire Diner today, and there's this guy, he was our waiter, and he wants to be an actor.

And I said, you've got to come meet Bob.

And he did.

And he signed him.

And that was Dylan Walsh.

Wow.

So Bob was just this kind of incredible man who just loved being the facilitator.

You know, he just loved putting people together.

And that was kind of... He was a nice early advocate.

Yes.

No.

You know, is there... I did get nominated for Independent Spirit Award for Mystic Pizza.

That's what you're thinking of, Sean, right?

That's what he was thinking of.

And I lost to Jodie Foster for Five Corners.

Well, you know, I kind of...

It was a joke to start with, but it's actually completely true when people say, oh, you know, when Pretty Woman came out, did it just completely change your life?

And I said, well, I was out of town when it came out, which is the joke.

But I was on location shooting Sleeping with the Enemy.

Tiny little town.

Thank you.

And it wasn't playing at the Sticky Shoe Theater where I was.

And I remember one of the crew guys was reading USA Today and he goes, hey, hey, your movie's in the paper.

And it just kind of said like, you know, box office.

There was like a little square and it said pretty woman and it said what the box office was.

Number meant nothing to me.

I was like, hey.

I mean, I didn't know if it was a great number, if it was a good number, if it was like... And yeah, so in a way, the momentum of that moment passed me by a little bit.

So I think I was probably spared.

Is it complicated?

I just feel like there's so much more choice than we allow ourselves to believe.

Like I can choose to get super caught up in some of the things that really we have no control over.

I have long given up reading anything.

And I don't know.

I don't know.

It's so fun.

I love it so much.

It's such a goofy little job.

I'm listening and I'm reading.

No, Steel Magnolias was first.

So I filmed Steel Magnolias.

I filmed Mystic Pizza.

And then I, don't you have my IMDB help?

Yeah, I know, but I want you to tell it.

Then I did Mystic Pizza.

Then I did Steel Magnolias.

Then I did Pretty Woman.

Then I did Flatliners.

Right.

Then I did Sleeping with the Enemy.

Thanks for the support.

Two, seven years ago.

Can I tell you, because you said, has anything crazy ever happened during a play?

But during screening of Steel Magnolias, there were a lot of reports of people having sort of like physical responses, reactions to people who are predisposed to these things.

It was wild.

Thank you, Sean.

Thank you.

I'm with you.

Someone just told me that there's, I think, a smoothie place or something on Fire Island and they have a smoothie called Drink Your Juice, Shelby.

Hey, Jason.

I just like to tee him up, you know?

Mary Lou Henner, I'm with you.

Oh, I went to Stowe, Vermont.

That's true.

Yeah, and I was only there one time, Stowe, Vermont.

Yes.

Danny Motor.

Well, first let me just say this, is that he, I mean, I really liked your podcast.

He loves this podcast.

No, really?

And I was trying to be on it without telling him.

so that he would just like be tuning in and all of a sudden there's this old lady's voice, but it didn't.

That's nice.

He saw my agenda book and he was like, smart, Liz.

I just thought that was the sweetest.

What's the secret, darling?

I know, I'm getting all sweaty.

You know, it's really- You seem like your buddies.

Well, he's my best friend.

But also the only person I want to make out with.

So I think it's that combination of things is- Amen.

But you know what?

Here's the thing, because you just don't know.

You never want to give all the credit away to one person and say, I owe it all to this one person.

But 25 years later, I mean, I just think, gosh, my life could have gone off the rails a hundred different ways in the last 25 years were it not for...

finding my person.

I don't know how, I don't know what small nation of people I saved in a former life.

Yes, we met on a movie called The Mexican.

Good looking movie.

Mr. Pitt, yeah.

And he was on that movie and I...

They had been shooting for about three weeks.

And he... God, what was he?

He was the focus puller on that movie?

And he and Brad were always next to each other and always talking.

So I come in and I'm like the new one.

And I'm like, you know, they're talking about, I don't know, a new record that's come out or something.

I'm like...

Oh, I love that.

I love that band.

Oh, yeah.

I'd kind of start humming it and be like, oh, yeah.

Music, yeah.

Yeah, oh, yeah.

And they're just like so locked into each other.

I was just looking for a way into the conversation and not realizing that one day this man that I was just trying to have a conversation with would be my husband.

We had a conversation and he has not gotten me to shut up in 25 years.

I love that.

I love that.

These are high class problems, but you want to know something?

We have in all these years, and we have three awesome kids.

And only one time in our lives, and the kids were probably

They were all under five for sure, and now they're all in college.

But there was one time when I was doing Eat, Pray, Love, and Danny was shooting a movie in Detroit.

And we were apart for seven weeks.

And I mean, I was lucky because I at least had the kids with me.

But he, and there was just no way, even one time I did have three days off in a row.

And I thought, oh, great, we can, you know.

And even if I went as the crow flies from New Delhi,

to Detroit, we could have hugged and I'd have to turn around.

It was seven weeks and when he finished and he came and joined us and we were just like, wow, that will never work.

It's been two and a half weeks.

Yes, but you and your wife are crazy about each other, so it's all going to be okay.

I think it's when the kids leave and you turn around and you're like, what are you still doing here?

Yeah.

That's when you run into troubles.

You were supposed to go too, yeah.

Yeah, I mean, it's so funny because whenever someone asks you a question like that and you have to, you know, rapid fire answer and you feel like, and then afterwards you go like, oh, that'd be a good dinner party.

And then of course, for the rest of the day, it's like, oh, but what?

Oh, it should have been this person.

And what about that person?

Yeah, yeah.

But I think I did.

I think, I mean, wouldn't it, Jesus coming to dinner?

Yeah, I'm just trying to think, what would I ask him?

George Clooney.

Yeah.

Oh, my.

It's one of the greatest stories of all time.

But even better than hearing George tell it is Richard telling it because the voice, Richard's voice is so.

That's the first letter he ever wrote me.

I have all the letters.

And in fact, someone gave us a great present many years ago.

These two beautiful sort of ceramic earthen pots.

And the lid on one pot inside is painted love letters to Julia from Danny.

And the other one is...

to Danny from Julia.

And so there's all these, like, just shoving stuff in there for years.

There's just no telling what's at the bottom of these jars.

Right.

Um...

But yeah, we're big on paper in our house.

And our kids are now too.

So it's nice to... Like I opened a book the other day and there was a post-it from my oldest son in the handwriting of maybe like a seven-year-old.

Which is not too dissimilar from his handwriting now, but I could see the time.

And it just said...

Mom, I'm so, so, so, so, so, so sorry.

What did I do?

And I thought, oh, I wish I had written on the other side of the post-it what the grievance was.

Because it was so great?

You know, I don't know.

I'm just thinking any year that I could go back and spend with before my father passed away.

He passed away when I was young.

And so I feel like even though I don't kind of say, oh, this was a great year and I want to relive that year, just to have any year with the knowledge that this is special because it's not going to last.

It was my dad and my mom together, but I think my dad was the captain.

No, I was a child.

Abandonment can be funny.

Yeah.

That's a lot of people, and I didn't even make the top ten.

I would marry either Frances McDormand or Cate Blanchett or Emma Thompson.

Nice.

Wow.

Those are good answers.

Those are pretty good.

There's more, but I'm limiting myself to three.

Luca Guadagnino, who is just... He did Call Me By Your Name.

He is so wonderful as a person and so innovative and the most curious person I've ever met.

He's so curious about people and why we do the things we do and why we don't do things.

And just every detail of every...

Everything.

He is, there's nothing that you're seeing that hasn't been specifically chosen in this shade of color and this statue and this painting being slightly askew or, you know, whatever.

I mean, it's just really, it's so.

Ayo.

Ayo.

Iowa debris.

People tried to sit down.

I was like, oh, no.

Yeah.

Oh, I'm glad.

Thank you.

I'm glad you got to see it.

Oh, Luca just texted me.

Wow.

Wow.

He must have felt us talking about him.

I've never really had an experience like this before, so it's nice to do new things, you know, especially this.

Well, I mean, I've never been to the Venice Film Festival, for one thing.

And, I mean, I guess George and I went to Cannes a few years ago, but that was the first time I'd ever been to Cannes.

because on television, they all look so terrifying.

Like, why would you want to put yourself there?

Yeah, I agree.

So if people say, oh, do you want to go to Cannes?

No, thank you.

Yeah, it just looks so terrifying.

People screaming and...

Once you say yes, like once you commit to it, then you have to have a sporting event mentality about it.

You're going to have a great time.

Danny had on a tuxedo.

I was just, it was great.

That part was great.

That is a good question.

But no, water samples, no.

But I haven't done anything cool like... Or a costume or like a shirt or anything?

I have a lot of costumes.

I have a lot of costumes.

And somewhere I actually think I have...

some wedding dresses from Runaway Bride.

Yeah.

Yeah, it's probably dangerously just in the garage in New Mexico.

And maybe there's just generations of mice that have made homes now that they're coming.

They're trying it on.

They're each trying it on.

In these boxes.

Yeah.

Yeah, but not really more like I have a beautiful drawing that Meryl Streep did for me of my character that she gave me as a wrap gift from August Osage County.

That movie's so good.

Some things like that.

George produced that movie.

Yeah, Eat Your Fish, Bitch.

George Clooney produced that movie.

Oh, yeah?

You guys are so fun.

I honestly, this is just zipped by and I... It was quick, right?

I just want, I want a chance to do it again and be...

quick and witty and more one of the dudes.

Can we just talk about the microphone that Will Arnett has in his apartment?

What is up with that?

Don't we get to see... Oh, those chairs are nice.

Yeah, nice chairs.

Do we get to see your guest star?

Thank you.

Likewise.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And can I just say, I'm sorry to leave you out, Sean, because I am your guest and I appreciate you so much.

That's okay, likewise.

But Arrested Development,

Danny and I ate that show up like ice cream and I'm happy to report that our youngest son, who's 18, just started college.

Episode one, pilot, we just started all over again, me and him together.

We are loving it.

Wait, can you invite me over?

It is, it is so, how much is going on all the time is, it's extraordinary.

Yeah.

I mean, that show really is one in a million.

After.

of the hunt October 10th October 10th wide October 17th my birthday October 28th oh great that's my that's Franny's birthday my eldest October it's the it's a great day it's the big month now it's three days after my son Archie and Wendell Clark's birthday okay it doesn't matter it's like three and a half months and a couple weeks after mine anyway so I love you to pieces thank you for being here lots of love you guys thank you bye bye bye bye

It's Boy Scouts.

Thank you, Sean, for that invitation.

Intro.

All my research.

It was sort of like a haiku about one's grandmother or something.

The clarinet and the knitting.

Yes, and not knowing the state of my family's financial situation as a brand new born baby, I guess they were maybe just going to have to smuggle me out in the middle of the night.

And so this made it, we could go out the front door.

My new favorite, Will Arnett.

Yeah, he's slick.

Yeah, you've got kids, you know.

These are not cheap endeavors.

But you know what's amazing is I am such a Jason Bateman fan and this up-close exchange now that we've seen each other in person.

I'm like really just like staring at you right now and you can't even tell.

Do you know the first Bateman I ever truly loved is your mom?

Oh, my mom.

Your mom.

When I met your mom... On a plane?

She is just...

Like she's just such a, you just, she just has sparks that kind of shoot off.

She's so beautiful and so sweet and the accent and the whole thing.

She nailed it.

Yeah.

Pan Am.

I mean, that just adds to the allure of her.

Yeah.

It was on set.

It was, yeah.

It was on Satisfaction.

It was before we were on location.

We were in Los Angeles for a long time because I came out to California and I was probably there for like...

at least three weeks before we went on location, because we had all that band practice, you see.

If only I could have played the clarinet in that movie.

My parents had a theater school and the King kids went to that school.

And so then my parents became friends with them.

I mean, I think one of them, and again, this is, I'm reaching back into my first days of life, but as I recall, I think one of them did have maybe some acting aspirations, but it was more than anything, I think it was just sort of,

hobbyist after-school weekend kind of thing to do with your kids.

Well, I have an opening night story that is pretty good, but it might be long.

Maybe it's better.

Yeah.

Well, so I did a play with Bradley Cooper and Paul Rudd.

What a cast!

I was there.

Ah, bravissimo.

I was there.

It rained inside the theater, which was great for everyone but the people in the front row, which we discovered they were all kind of being pelted.

Well, I don't think you go to the theater thinking that the rain in the show is going to get on you.

I wouldn't think that.

Yeah.

But, you know, we had rehearsed this play.

As you guys know, it goes on and on and on forever, and then all you want to do is just start the thing.

The opening night comes, and nerves are high.

Just even thinking about it, I'm getting a little short of breath.

So the play starts, Paul's on stage by himself and it's his apartment set and there's just this sort of like bare mattress, you know, apartment in New York.

And he's reading this, he's thumbing through this book and then there's a knock at the door.

open the door, and it's his sister, played by yours truly, clarinet player.

And I come in, and what's in his hand is our father's diary that he's just found.

And he's been reading it, and he's crazed, and he's manic over what he's discovered.

And he's talking about it, and he's talking about it.

And he tosses it on the bed, as he has done 9,458 times in rehearsal.

Right.

And this book skitters across the mattress, hits the front of the stage, and into the aisle.

Which is fine for the next four and a half minutes until I say, but.

Or Paul says.

Paul says it.

He picks it up.

And so we keep going, but we're looking at each other like, this has never happened before.

What happens when this happens?

Because this has never happened before.

Meanwhile, someone working on the show who has seen this happen sort of commando crawls down the aisle and says to the man in the front row, sir, you know, pick that up and just put it on the stage.

And the man's like, what?

Huh?

What?

Paul and I are acting our little hearts out.

Pick, just pick.

So the man picks it up and he kind of like doesn't quite know.

I mean, I wouldn't want to touch a prop or, you know.

And he puts it on the stage at the exact, you couldn't have planned it better, at the exact moment that Paul goes, no, I'll read it to you.

At the second.

And then Paul, being the amazing human being that he is, just turns and looks at the man.

He goes...

And everybody in the audience, you could just feel everybody just let out their breath that we didn't realize we were holding.

And we sort of went on for there.

And then you realize, wow, nothing that I've read is actually factual.

I was a doctor.

Did you hear?

He goes, you were a vet and you sold shoes.

Everybody does.

I was in the 4-H club.

I mean, like, I thought this was great.

And it wasn't until I discovered...

that I don't really have a mind for science.

I just wanted to do the petting.

I could take out a toothbrush and put some mange medicine on if necessary, but I didn't want to do the surgeries.

I've milked a cow.

You have?

I have not changed.

I've watched the farrier do it, but I've not done it myself.

What's it called?

A farrier?

A farrier.

You could call me.

I mean, I don't know that I had that kind of moment where I thought,

this is the path I want my life to take.

I mean, my parents were artists.

I have an older brother and sister.

They were, they're artists.

My, my sister was going to the neighborhood playhouse at the, when I moved to New York, um, and moved in with her.

And that's when I was working at the athlete's foot on 72nd and Broadway, right by the grace papaya and Popeye's.

That's great.

Um, and, uh,

And I worked there for a while, and I think it was just realizing that college was not going to be in the cards for me and...

I didn't really know what I was going to do.

I mean, I had moved to New York really just because I wanted to be back with my sister because she had been gone for two years and we were so close and I missed her.