Julia Roberts reveals why she’s set to star in her first romantic comedy in 20 years

Pretty Woman actress Julia Roberts has returned to the genre that made her a Hollywood great with George Clooney playing her estranged husband

Julia Roberts hasn’t done a romantic comedy in 20 years, but she’s about to make a remarkable comeback.

One of the main reasons the Hollywood superstar held back was to star alongside old pal George Clooney. Another reason was that she was just waiting for the right script to come along.

Luckily for fans of ’90s classics ‘Pretty Woman’, ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’ and ‘Notting Hill’, the 54-year-old actress has made it big with her role in new movie ‘Ticket to Paradise’, which is set to premiere in When it hits theaters in October, it meets both criteria.

In the film, divorced couple Roberts and Clooney will travel to Bali to stop their daughter from repeating the same mistake they made 25 years earlier.

Roberts seemed almost self-surprised at her two-decade sabbatical from the types of movies that made her a Hollywood A-list in an interview with The New York Times, asking, “It can’t be 20 years, can it?

“Here’s the thing: If I thought something was good enough, I would have done it. But I’ve also had three children in the last 18 years.

“That raises the bar even higher, because then it’s not just about ‘Is the material good?’ It’s also the mathematical equation of my husband’s work schedule and the kids’ school schedule and summer vacations. It’s not just, ‘Oh, I think I want to do that’.”

Roberts will be married to cinematographer Daniel Moder for 20 years in July and they have twins Phinnaeus and Hazel, 17, and Henry, 14. On her motivation for returning to her best-known genre, Roberts added, “People sometimes misinterpret the time that’s gone by that I haven’t done romantic comedy because I don’t want to do it.

“If I read something that I thought was Notting Hill level of writing or My Best Friend’s Wedding level of wacky fun, I would.

“They didn’t exist until this film.”

After reading director Ol Parker and Daniel Pipski’s script, she also argued, “It only works if it’s George Clooney.” Luckily, so did her former Ocean’s Eleven co-star.

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