Julia Roberts has become a household name in Hollywood over the decades, but when she first stepped into the spotlight in the late '80s, she didn’t always feel so confident. In a new interview with People, the 57-year-old opened up about her struggle with self-confidence in the early days of her acting career, admitting that she did not begin pursuing her dreams "with much confidence". "It was so much more about who I wanted to be as opposed to what kind of career I wanted to have," she shared. "And then I wanted to take the person that I wanted to build and put that person into these different situations of work life."
The star also recalled facing her fair share of critics when she was starting out in the industry. "I encountered early on, not a lot but a few critical people who were really cruel, and it was a really interesting challenge for me to decide the kind of person I wanted to strive to be," she explained. "I don't think I entered into my career with much confidence."
Julia admitted that it was "more bumps than smooth sailing" for her between ages 15 to 25. "Of course, even then, I would have shreds of gratitude. I would think, 'Okay, there's a reason why it has to be so hard,' " she recalled. "Now I look at it as some of the lessons that I'm the most grateful for because they proved my endurance to myself." She continued: "Being insecure, it can be crippling. So if someone embarrassed me, it stopped me. I was apoplectic, so learning to navigate that – because this is not an industry to be in if you can't take criticism or harshness or being embarrassed."
Reflecting on her nearly four decades in the industry, Julia revealed that her choices were often about "personal evolution and discovery". The actress was joined by her After the Hunt co-star Ayo Edebiri for the interview. The Crime Drama hits select theaters on October 10 and then everywhere on October 17. Directed by Luca Guadagnino, the gripping thriller follows a college professor whose world begins to unravel after a star student levels a serious accusation against one of her colleagues, putting a long-concealed secret of her own at risk of being exposed.
Julia portrays the college professor, Alma Olsson, while Andrew Garfield plays Hendrik, Ayo Edebiri stars as Maggie, and Michael Stuhlbarg plays Frederick Olsson. Chloe Sevigney, Lio Mehiel, Ariyan Kassam and Will Price also feature in the film.