Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
David Flett

Julia Roberts announces why she is to star in her first romantic comedy in 20 years

Julia Roberts hasn't made a romantic comedy for 20 years but she is set to make a remarkable comeback.

One of the main reasons the Hollywood superstar has been holding back was to star alongside old pal George Clooney. Another was that she was simply waiting for the right script to come along.

Luckily for fans of 1990s classics Pretty Woman, My Best Friend's Wedding and Notting Hill, the 54-year-old actress has managed to tick both boxes with her role in new movie Ticket to Paradise, which is out in October.

The film will see divorced couple Roberts and Clooney head to Bali to stop their daughter from repeating the same mistake they had made 25 years earlier.

George Clooney and Julia Roberts were voted the most beautiful people on the planet in 2005 (PA Archive/PA Images)

Roberts, in a New York Times interview, almost seemed surprised herself at her two-decade long sabbatical from the types of movies that made her a Hollywood A-lister, questioning: "It can't be 20 years, can it?

"Here's the thing: If I'd thought something was good enough, I would have done it. But I also had three kids in the last 18 years.

"That raises the bar even more because then it's not only 'Is this material good?' It's also the math equation of my husband's work schedule and the kids' school schedule and summer vacation. It's not just, 'Oh, I think I want to do this'."

Roberts will have been married to cinematographer Daniel Moder for 20 years in July and they have 17-year-old twins Phinnaeus and Hazel and 14-year-old Henry. On her motivation for returning to her most recognised genre, Roberts added: "People sometimes misconstrue the amount of time that’s gone by that I haven’t done a romantic comedy as my not wanting to do one.

Julia Roberts' iconic boots from the 1990s classic Pretty Woman (PA Archive/PA Images)

"If I had read something that I thought was that Notting Hill level of writing or My Best Friend’s Wedding level of madcap fun, I would do it.

"They didn't exist until this movie."

After reading the script by director Ol Parker and Daniel Pipski, she also reasoned: "This only works if it's George Clooney." Luckily, her former Ocean's Eleven co-star felt the same.

Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@mirror.co.uk or call us direct 0207 29 33033.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.