Eric Roberts has a bone to pick this Flowers.
The 68-year-old, the older brother of Julia Roberts, admitted that he is not a fan of one of her most critically acclaimed films, “Steel Magnolias.”
In his memoir, Runaway Train: Or the Story of My Life So Far, Roberts spoke openly about the 1989 dramedy.
“Julia was good in ‘Pizza by the Sea,’ great in ‘Pretty Woman,’ but not so much in ‘Steel Magnolias,’ in my opinion, even though it earned Julia her first Oscar nomination,” he wrote on Sept. 20, according to Entertainment Weekly. “I don’t want to sound like an actor, or a jealous sibling, but I don’t think her performance in that film held up.”
He added: “When I saw her in Steel Magnolias, I thought, ‘Okay. Good. She’s almost a good actress and one day she will be.'”
But the “Dancing With the Stars” candidate not only had a problem with his sister’s performance, he also had criticism of the other actors.
“In fact, I think all of those brilliant women — Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Olympia Dukakis, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah — overdid it in Steel Magnolias,” Roberts wrote. “No one is great in that movie. They all ate up a lot of scenes, and we know that actors who cry on film are at the top of their class.”
“They get the Oscar nomination because crying gets a lot of recognition. It’s the big joke in all acting classes, even in the great Lee Strasberg’s Actors Studio. Crying and dying brings success!”
Roberts also claimed that the 56-year-old “Pretty Woman” star received positive reviews for portraying the Louisiana character because of her true Southern roots.
“I also think her authenticity as a sweet, small-town Southern girl was another reason she was nominated for an Oscar for ‘Steel Magnolias,'” he said. “That was her, after all, or at least that was her beginning. I don’t know if she had a dialect coach who tried to get rid of her Southern accent, but if so, thankfully it didn’t do her any harm.”
He also attributes his younger sibling’s fame to their family’s Southern ancestry.
“I think that’s a big part of her appeal — besides her stunning looks and dazzling smile — her Southern accent and manners,” he noted in his memoir. “Such beauty can be off-putting, especially to other women, but Julia’s down-to-earth manner made her seem like your best friend. There’s a certain colorful and charming quality to the Southern slang.”
Later in the chapter, he reflected on how the 1990 romantic comedy “Pretty Woman” helped the Oscar winner achieve even greater fame.
“Everyone loved that movie and Julia’s role in it,” said the Golden Globe winner. “I worked with George C. Scott (who won an Oscar for ‘Patton’). 1971) and he told me in his gravelly voice that he thought her film would be a hit. It was. I saw it happen: Oh my God, Julia is going to be a superstar!”
But the father of actress Emma Roberts was “not really” jealous of Julia’s success: “For one thing, we were never in the running for the same roles.”
He admitted, however, that he was not prepared for the attention he expected after becoming the brother of America’s sweetheart. “When this rare and exquisite event suddenly occurred, this worldwide phenomenon of Julia’s fame, it thrust me into the public eye in a different way,” he wrote.
At times the constant attention felt inappropriate.
“At first we were faced with all sorts of suspicions – even outrageous and sinister rumors of incest. I don’t know exactly where it started,” he recalled. “Perhaps it was a silly notion of what Southerners are capable of – a vicious dig at the South. But beyond that, it seemed as if there was no place for Julia and me in the public imagination – as if we were in competition with each other.”
In addition to his criticism, he also apologized to Julia for saying that he was responsible for her successful career.
He was already an established actor when his little sister moved to New York to pursue her own career in 1985. Roberts was also struggling with a cocaine addiction at the time.
“Without me, there would be no Julia Roberts and no Emma Roberts as celebrities, as actresses,” he told Vanity Fair in 2018, adding, “And I’m very proud of that.”
Recently he changed his mind.
“I hope Julia will accept this public apology,” he wrote in his book (now out), according to People. “That was a stupid statement.”
The “Dark Night” alum went on to say that he believes his drug addiction damaged his relationship with Julia and his other sister Lisa when they were younger.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder because it was dangerous to be around me,” Roberts admitted. “Lisa and Julia needed love and protection – instead they became afraid and insecure.”
