In his new autobiography, released last week, Eric Roberts publicly apologized to his sister Julia Roberts for the “foolish” comments he made in which he took credit for her Oscar-winning career.
“One of the things I want to apologize for in the book is for the number of times I publicly said, ‘Without me, there would be no Julia Roberts,'” Roberts writes in Runaway Train: or, The Story of My Life So Far, which was released on September 17, reports People magazine.
The actor, who was Oscar-nominated for his role in Runaway Train alongside Jon Voight and is currently appearing in season 33 of Dancing with the Stars, was referring to his infamous 2018 interview with Vanity Fair, in which he said, “Without me, Julia Roberts and Emma Roberts wouldn’t exist as celebrities and as actresses, and I’m very proud of that.”
At the time, he also said that he helped the Pretty Woman star secure her first agent, saying, “When Julia first came to New York, I went to William Morris and asked, ‘Who of you guys will sign my sister, Julia?’ And I’m so proud that everyone knows I was the first, because I was the first by a long shot. I was also the first to be nominated for a Golden Globe and an Academy Award, so I’m proud of that.”
He continues in the book: “Not only is it unfortunate, it is untrue, and I hope Julie accepts this public apology. It was a stupid thing to say. I was proud of her, but it was pride turned upside down in favor of my own.”
Roberts went on to describe the beloved actress as a “very driven woman,” adding that even without his influence and help, someone would have “plucked her out of the crowd” for a career in Hollywood. But it was him paving the way for her that perhaps changed the trajectory of Julia’s life, he said.
“On the other hand, I was born to do this. I moved to New York before I was even old enough to drink a beer in public. If Julie had stayed in Atlanta, she probably would have married a wealthy man and lived a completely different life. So when I left my father (or thought I had) and moved to New York, I give my sisters the credit for saying, ‘Come on, girls. The water is good.’ I think she then lived as a young actor in New York, saw what I did for a living, and decided she wanted to try it.”
Elsewhere in the book, Roberts reflects on being a “bad parent” to Emma and opens up about his cocaine addiction. Earlier this summer, the actor said on the Still Here Hollywood podcast that he “shouldn’t talk” about Emma and Julia but “stumbled across” them.
