Julia Roberts and George Clooney Get Candid About Raising Kids in the Spotlight
Julia Roberts offered a candid insight into her experience with motherhood during a discussion with her long-standing friend George Clooney.
Us Weekly provided an exclusive preview of Roberts' feature interview, orchestrated by Clooney for the debut edition of Edward and Akua Enninful's new publication, 72 Magazine, where the Academy Award recipients delved into how their celebrity status has influenced their approaches to raising children throughout the years.
“Bringing up children amidst celebrity – it's a reality, undeniable no matter how you relate to it, it’s still fame – and there’s wealth involved, isn’t there? I was raised in poverty. I earned $3 an hour cutting tobacco, and that experience taught me a lot,” Clooney, 64, shared with Roberts. “Upon moving to L.A. and cycling to auditions, I discovered I could manage with very little. The key takeaway from my upbringing was the assurance that I possessed the resilience to endure. That even if everything collapsed, we would manage.”
Clooney further expressed his “worry” regarding his children's upbringing – he and wife Amal are parents to 8-year-old twins Alexander and Ella – specifically, how a life of financial comfort and safety might shape their outlook. He subsequently inquired of Roberts, 57, whether she and her husband Danny Moder had managed to “devise methods” for instilling “values” in their offspring, given that it’s "challenging to instill profound core values in children within a society where such principles aren't always universally held in high regard.”
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“We've had many conversations about this,” Roberts, mother to twins Hazel and Phinnaeus, 20, and son Henry, 18, with Moder, responded. “Naturally, we all aspire for our children to develop with a strong moral compass. This is a universal parental desire. I believe a significant factor is that Danny and I have always been, and remain, in complete agreement on our fundamental principles. And I think when children are young, they are only aware of what we choose to reveal to them. I honestly can't recall the exact age my children reached before they truly grasped my professional standing.”
Clooney observed that as his children mature, they are beginning to perceive their parents' public personas. He recounted how his son recently inquired about the meaning of “famous” because his “friend’s mother remarked that you are famous.”
“To which I replied, ‘Well, tell her I’m extremely famous!’” Clooney stated, chuckling, before redirecting the discussion to Roberts’ offspring. He pointed out that her three children have all blossomed into “charming and humorous” individuals who successfully cultivated “independent viewpoints” despite their mother’s renown.
Roberts, conversely, contended that it was her children who educated her on embodying a “compassionate person in society,” and that “the entire process is not as challenging as we often perceive it to be.”
Regarding her foremost counsel on raising children, she advised Clooney, “Have no fear.”
“They won't suddenly transform into monsters overnight,” she elaborated. “They won't reach 13 and despise you. They won't hit 16 and detest you. One merely needs to persevere, and circumstances evolve, allowing the situation to stabilize once more. It is truly a splendid privilege to belong to this family unit.”
Roberts admitted that although she understands she's "not meant to" label it as her "greatest achievement," her involvement in her "fivesome" family unit ranks as her paramount source of pride.
Clooney concurred, describing Roberts and Moder as “exceptional” parents. “Your children are so wonderful that if that isn't your proudest accomplishment, I would be utterly mortified for you,” he quipped.
“Truly. It's simply a joy to observe them interacting with you,” he appended. “They support you. You support them.”
The frank discussion between the enduring friends concerning parenthood and other topics signals the dawn of a fresh epoch for the EE72 realm. 72 Magazine is launching concurrently with EE72's engaging digital platform, bringing together international fashion, beauty, high-end lifestyle, and culture, thereby introducing a daring new phase in narrative creation and signifying a pioneering transformation within the media sector.
"Julia Roberts has consistently symbolized something deeply significant within our societal fabric—an entertainer who defies categorization by any sole instance, perpetually developing while retaining her complete authenticity. She personifies the contemporary female figure 72 Magazine champions: unvarnished, genuine, and eternal," remarked Sarah Harris, Editorial Director of 72 Magazine. "This cover serves as an homage to that intrepid uniqueness, and the commencement of a remarkable voyage."
Although her role as a mother surpasses all other achievements, Roberts undeniably possesses numerous reasons for pride. The acclaimed actress from Pretty Woman is presently preparing for the premiere of her latest psychological thriller, After the Hunt. The motion picture, helmed by Luca Guadagnino, focuses on Roberts as a university professor facing both personal and career dilemmas after her brilliant student (Ayo Edebiri) accuses a fellow faculty member (Andrew Garfield), jeopardizing the revelation of a hidden secret from her own history.
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The movie debuted at the Venice Film Festival earlier in the current month, with The Times’ Kevin Maher describing it as “a remarkable narrative of challenged allegiances and complex realities set at Yale University in the initial years of the 2020s.”
Roberts, on her part, stated at a Venice press conference that the picture, addressing topics related to the #MeToo movement, is intended to “incite discussions.”
“That’s the sensation we aimed for — for everyone to leave with a variety of sentiments, feelings, and perspectives,” she clarified. “You discern your strong beliefs and firm convictions because we provoke thought on all these matters for you. So, you're welcome.”
After the Hunt arrives in cinemas on October 10.
The inaugural, pioneering edition of 72 Magazine, a quarterly publication, will be released on September 12, bolstered by the digital EE72 platform.
