Julia Roberts is known for being one of the most lovable celebrities of Hollywood. She has been the silver screen’s sweetheart for decades and has truly become a household name. She has amassed an impressive career and has consistently been an A-list actor for three decades. As she has grown and changed as an actress and person, she has continued to star in top movies and kept a pretty solid reputation in Hollywood and in the media. But as much as she has been in the public eye, there are still some things that not everyone knows about the actress. Here are 8 facts about Julia Roberts that you may have never guessed would be true.
Julia Roberts real last name is Mitchell.
Many did not know this information until very recently. But it was discovered that her real surname is not Roberts, and that she was not given this name biologically. This was uncovered on a television show that researches genealogy and family trees. The name she should biologically have is Julia Mitchell.
She has a very strained relationship with her stepfather.
Julia’s parents divorced when she was just four years old. When her mother remarried, her stepdad was not a great person in her life. Sources say he was terrible to her and her siblings, and her mom eventually divorced him while Julia was in high school.
Her real father unfortunately has passed away.
Julia had to go through a lot as a kid, and that included her relationship with the father figures in her life. Not only did she have to deal with the poor treatment of her stepdad, but she lost her father at a very young age. When she was just 10 years old, her father died from throat cancer.
She started her time in the limelight as a model.
Before her acting career got started, Julia was actually a model. She moved to New York City after her graduation in 1985. She was signed with a modeling agency, and also started on her acting classes. She originally wanted to be a veterinarian.
She once dated Liam Neeson.
Many don’t know that when Julia was just a teenager, she had a relationship with Liam Neeson. There was much criticism over the age gap between the two, with Julia just 19 years old and 35 years old. They got pretty serious though, even moving in together and dating for a year.
Mystic Pizza is the film that changed her career.
Many people think that Pretty Woman was the film that springboarded her career, but it was actually Mystic Pizza — which was released in 1988. Julia said she knew she’d made it to star status when a fan recognized her from the film and asked her for her autograph.
Steel Magnolias was a difficult film for her.
Steel Magnolias is such a popular and well loved movie, but Roberts and the rest of the cast had a hard time behind the scenes. The director was very harsh and critical of Roberts’ acting, and even suggested that she get rid of the mole under her eye.
She has been a runaway bride in real life.
In Runaway Bride, Julia Roberts plays a bride who leaves her fiance at the altar. But art imitated life, as Roberts has actually been a runaway bride in real life. She was once in preparation for a big wedding to marry Kiefer Sutherland. But three days before the big day, she called off the wedding and left with Sutherland’s best friend Jason Patric, to go to Ireland.
