Eric Roberts apologizes to his sister Julia Roberts in his latest book for previously claiming credit for her accomplishments.
The actor, 68, released a biography titled Runaway Train: Or, The Story of My Life So Far on September 17, and in one chapter, he concedes that his previous statements suggesting he made his Oscar-winning younger sister famous were “asinine.”
The latest Dancing with the Stars contestant Eric writes, “Now one of the things I’d like to apologize for in this book is publicly saying on more than one occasion, ‘If it wasn’t for me, there would be no Julia Roberts.'”
“That’s not only unfortunate but also false,” Eric said, referring to the actress as Julie in the book. “I hope Julie accepts this more public apology. It was a ridiculous thing to say. I felt proud of her, but I used that pride to my advantage.”
Eric regarded Julia as a “very driven woman” who might have “plucked her out of the crowd” for a Hollywood career without his assistance.
In his memoir, he stated, “On the other side,” “I was born to do this.” I moved to New York City when I was too young to legally consume alcohol in public. If Julie had stayed in Atlanta, she would have undoubtedly married a wealthy man and led a different life. So I’ll take credit for encouraging my sisters, ‘Come on up, girls; the water’s good,’ after I had broken away from my father (or believed I had) and relocated to New York City.”
“That’s when it seems to me, she saw my life as a young actor in New York, saw what I was doing for my livelihood, and she wanted to try it,” she writes.
Eric, Julia, and their 59-year-old sister Lisa are the offspring of Walter Roberts and Betty Lou Bredemus, who established a progressive acting school for youngsters in Atlanta. Following their parents’ divorce in 1971, their mother married Michael Motes. Julia and Lisa resided in Smyrna, Georgia, with their younger sister, Nancy Motes (Betty and Michael’s daughter). Eric remained with Walter, who later died of cancer in 1977.
He traveled to New York at the age of 17 to pursue a career in acting, and he found early success in 1978 with King of the Gypsies. Later, his performance in the 1985 film Runaway Train garnered him an Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actor.
Eric, the father of actress Emma Roberts, previously stated to Vanity Fair in 2018: “If it wasn’t for me, there would be no Julia Roberts and Emma Roberts as celebrities, as actresses, and I’m very proud of that.”
” When Julia first arrived in New York, I walked up to William Morris and asked, ‘Which one of you is going to sign my sister Julia?’ I’m glad everyone recognizes that I was first, albeit by a long shot. I’m pleased to have received the first Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations.”
Julia’s major break came in 1988 with Mystic Pizza. Steel Magnolias (1989) and Pretty Woman (1990) propelled her to prominence, earning her Oscar nominations. She won Best Actress for the 2000 film Erin Brockovich and received another nomination for August: Osage County in 2013.
On the Still Here Hollywood podcast in July, Eric stated, “I adore my sister, but I can’t talk about her.” She doesn’t want to talk about it. ” He claimed that Emma, 33, “told me not to talk about her, but I tripped and did. I shouldn’t talk about either of them.”