Setting the record straight on his relationship with his actress sister, the 'Dark Knight' actor looks back on the moment he sparked the speculation when he avoided questions about the 'Money Monster' star.
- Jun 2, 2022
AceShowbiz - Julia Roberts' brother Eric Roberts has finally addressed their yearslong feud rumors. Setting the record straight once and for all, the actor has admitted that he might have ignited the speculation with one awkward interview.
Appearing in a Wednesday, June 1 episode of "Behind the Velvet Rope with David Yontef" podcast, Eric claimed, "Julia and I have always been fine." He then explained the origin of the rumors, "I think years and years ago, I was doing a press tour for some movie … It was just when 'Pretty Woman' [had been] released, and so they're asking a bunch of questions about Julia. And I said, 'Hey, excuse me. Can we talk about me?' I think I was very funny."
While Eric thought his reaction was "very funny," it spurred different interpretation from reporters. "And of course, then it's like, 'Oh, they have a problem. Oh my God, they have a problem,' " he recalled. "And suddenly, all these problems I keep hearing about I have with my sister that I don't have with my sister. And they're just popping up all the place. And I'm asked about them as if they're real issues."
The father of Emma Roberts admitted that he only fueled the speculation with his approach to handling all the questions about his relationship with Julia by avoiding them or saying things like, "Oh, I wasn't aware of that." He said many thought, "So now they're keeping a secret" and "So Eric won't talk about it." The story "blew up and blew up and became all these things it wasn't," he acknowledged.
But it couldn't be further from the truth, according to Eric. "My sister and I, though, we've always talked, we've always b***hed. I've always had fun, [we've always] known each other. Simple as that," he stated.
"The Dark Knight" star continued, "I love knowing my sister. She's a cool chick, my sister. … She's doing a lot of stuff and … I don't ignore it. I just stay out of her hair with the press. That's all. And she stays out of mine. I mean, honestly, if you're doing a movie of your own … and the press just wants to talk about any member of your family, it is kind of a little like, 'Why?' "
Asked how Julia is as a mother to twins Hazel and Phinnaeus, 17, and son Henry, 14, Eric jokingly responded, "Oh, you know what, if I start doing that, I'm going to get myself in trouble no matter what I say," before praising his sister a "great mom." He added, "She's a cool mom. She's a hip mom. She knows it all."
Eric previously revealed that his past substance abuse issues took their toll on his relationships, including those with his sisters Julia, Lisa Roberts Gillan and Nancy Motes, who died by suicide in 2014. "I wouldn't characterize it as a falling-out. I was crazy about my sisters. Loved them, adored them. They were precious to me, and we had times of great closeness," he told Vanity Fair in January 2018.
"We all felt very protective of each other, but the hardest person to protect yourself from is yourself," he shared. "I was exhausting to be around: complainy, blamey, unable to enjoy enjoyment. Everyone in my world needed a break sometimes, and that must have included Julia."
