Julia Roberts gave a rare glimpse into her life as a parent during a conversation with longtime pal George Clooney.
In Us Weekly’s exclusive first look at Roberts’ cover story interview, conducted by Clooney for the inaugural issue of Edward and Akua Enninful’s new 72 Magazine, the Oscar winners discussed how “fame” has affected their respective parenting styles over the years.
“Raising kids in fame — it exists, you can’t deny it, whatever your relationship with it is, it is still fame — and you have money, right? I grew up very poor. I cut tobacco for $3 an hour and I learned from that,” Clooney, 64, told Roberts. “When I moved to L.A. and rode a bicycle to audition, I learned that I could survive on almost nothing. What I got from that, from me growing up that way, was the knowledge that I could survive. That if the bottom fell out, we’d be OK.”
Clooney added that his “concern” in raising his children — he shares 8-year-old twins Alexander and Ella with wife Amal — is how growing up with money and security will alter their perspective. He then asked Roberts, 57, if she and husband Danny Moder were able to “find ways” of teaching their children “values,” as it’s “hard to raise kids with deep core values in a world where values aren’t necessarily the No. 1 thing respected by everyone.”
“You and I have talked about this a lot,” Roberts, who shares twins Hazel and Phinnaeus, 20, and son Henry, 18, with Moder, replied. “You know, we all want our kids to grow up with values. This is what we want as parents. I think part of it is just Danny and I are definitely aligned in our core values and always have been. And I think when kids are little, kids only know what you let them know. I can’t even tell you how old my kids probably were when they really understood my place in a work world.”
Clooney noted that now that his kids are getting older, they are catching wind of who their parents are. He recalled his son recently asking him what “famous” meant because his “friend’s mom said you’re famous.”
“And I said, ‘Well, tell her I’m very famous!’” Clooney said with a laugh before turning the focus back on Roberts’ kids. He noted that all three of her children have turned out to be “sweet and funny” people who were able to form “their own opinions” in the midst of their mom’s fame.
Roberts, however, argued that it was her kids who taught her about being a “good human in the world,” and that “none of it is really as hard as we make it out to be.”
As for her No. 1 piece of parenting advice, she told Clooney, “Do not be afraid.”
“They don’t wake up as monsters one day,” she explained. “They don’t turn 13 and hate you. They don’t turn 16 and hate you. You just have to hang in there and things shift and then the boat rights itself again. It’s such a magnificent thing to be part of this family.”
Roberts confessed that while she knows she’s not “supposed to” name it as her “proudest thing,” being part of her “fivesome” family unit lands at the top of her list.
Clooney agreed, calling Roberts and Moder “great” parents. “Your kids are such great kids that if it’s not your proudest thing, I would be so ashamed of you,” he joked.
“Honest to God. It’s just so much fun watching them around you,” he added. “They’ve got your back. You’ve got their back.”
The longtime friends’ candid conversation about parenting and more marks the beginning of a new era for the EE72 universe. 72 Magazine debuts alongside EE72’s immersive digital platform, converging global fashion, beauty, luxury and culture, ushering in a bold new chapter in storytelling and marking a groundbreaking shift across the media industry.
“Julia Roberts has always represented something profound in our cultural landscape—an artist who refuses to be defined by any single moment, continuously evolving while remaining utterly true to herself. She embodies the modern woman 72 Magazine celebrates: unfiltered, authentic and timeless,” said Sarah Harris, Editorial Director of 72 Magazine. “This cover is a celebration of that fearless individuality, and the beginning of an extraordinary journey.”
While being a mother trumps all her other accomplishments, Roberts certainly has plenty to be proud of. The Pretty Woman star is currently gearing up for the release of her new psychological drama After the Hunt. The Luca Guadagnino-directed film centers on Roberts, a college professor who finds herself at a personal and professional crossroads when her star student (Ayo Edebiri) levels an accusation against one of her colleagues (Andrew Garfield), threatening to expose a dark secret from her own past.
The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month, with The Times’ Kevin Maher calling it “an extraordinary tale of tested loyalties and difficult truths on the campus of Yale University in the early 2020s.”
Roberts, for her part, said during a Venice press conference that the film, which deals with the themes of the #MeToo movement, is meant to “start conversations.”
“That’s how we wanted it to feel — that everybody comes out with all these different feelings, emotions and points of views,” she explained. “You realize what you believe in strongly and what your convictions are because we stir it all up for you. So, you’re welcome.”
After the Hunt hits theaters on October 10.
72 Magazine’s groundbreaking debut issue of the quarterly magazine launches on September 12 powered by the digital EE72 platform.
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