Celebrities Who Can't Stand Julia Roberts

Has Hollywood soured on America’s Sweetheart? Over the years, tawdry tales of Julia Roberts’ diva antics have become the stuff of legend, generating reams of lurid tabloid fodder. Reports of bullheadedness, unstoppered weeping, and wild mood swings have swirled around the industry, fueled by horror stories from crusty costars, typically unflappable directors, and even her own brother. So, just what kind of drama are we talking about? Roberts allegedly enjoys locking herself in her trailer for hours at a time, and sources claim she ices critics in public when she thinks they’ve scorned her.

By many accounts, Roberts possesses a dark side that belies the chirpily braying characters she portrays in films such as Pretty Woman and Hook. Here’s a rundown of her many skirmishes over the years, showcasing the complex relationships she has had with various celebrities. From her contentious interactions with co-stars to her alleged diva behavior on set, the stories paint a picture of a star whose off-screen persona often clashes with her on-screen charm.

As we delve deeper into these tales, you will discover the surprising dynamics and rivalries that have emerged in Hollywood, particularly surrounding Julia Roberts. Prepare to uncover the moments that have left even the most seasoned actors and filmmakers scratching their heads in disbelief.

Nick Nolte says 'she's not a nice person'

Roberts and Nick Nolte clearly didn’t love (or even like) working together during 1994’s I Love Trouble. The film received quite the dismal drubbing after critics complained of the duo’s “less-than-sparkling chemistry.” According to the Los Angeles Times, Roberts was prone to temper tantrums during production, while Nolte went out of his way to deliberately irritate the actress. Whenever possible, the two stars reportedly filmed scenes with stand-ins so they wouldn’t have to look at one another.

“From the moment I met him we sort of gave each other a hard time,” Roberts told The New York Times in 1993, “and naturally we get on each other’s nerves.” In the same profile, she characterized Nolte as “completely charming and very nice,” but “also completely disgusting. He’s going to hate me for saying this, but he seems to go out of his way to repel people.” Nolte responded by biting right back: “It’s not nice to call someone ‘disgusting.’ But she’s not a nice person. Everyone knows that.”

Her moodiness allegedly drove Steven Spielberg up a tree

Roberts was reportedly so irksome while filming 1991’s Hook that cast and crew nicknamed her Tinkerhell. While working on the film, Roberts was embroiled in a highly-publicized breakup with fiancé Kiefer Sutherland (who Roberts dumped mere days before the wedding). A Premiere article from 1994 described her on-set presence as “sometimes somber, sometimes at the near edge of hysteria.”

According to Steven Spielberg: A Biography, Roberts once sashayed onto the set ludicrously late and totally unapologetic, grandly proclaiming, “I’m ready now.” Spielberg’s response? “We’re ready when I say we’re ready, Julia.” She’d reportedly stay locked in her trailer for hours at a time, one of several quirks that inspired Spielberg to tell 60 Minutes: “It was not a great time for Julia and I to be working together.”

Critic Roger Friedman found Roberts' behavior 'chilling'

In a 2009 Fox News column, famed theater critic Roger Friedman chronicled a dark night of the soul that allegedly involved Roberts snubbing him at the Duplicity premiere — in front of his peers. “She cut me dead,” he writes. “She was rude, downright nasty, and dismissive.” Adding insult to injury, Friedman claims the actress “cut in between me and director Tony Gilroy to make her point. Her behavior was unexpected and chilling.”

The reason for all the melodrama? Bad blood apparently started splashing around during Roberts’ 2006 Broadway premiere in Three Days of Rain. According to Friedman’s account, Roberts’ publicist sidled up to him at the Duplicity premiere and eerily said, “She knows you broke the embargo on her play and wrote bad things about her.” At the same event, a top agent allegedly told Friedman that Roberts described him as “the man who writes bad things about me.” What’s fantastically odd about all this: Friedman actually gave Roberts a rave review for her performance.

Even her brother can't deal

Siblings will always have their differences, but not speaking for more than a decade is especially hardcore. According to People, the animosity between Julia Roberts and her brother, Eric Roberts, stems from a 1993 custody battle over his daughter, actress Emma Roberts. Wary of her brother’s drug abuse at the time, Julia sided with Eric’s ex, Kelly Cunningham, during the dispute. The decision reportedly earned the Pretty Woman star ten years of radio silence from the brother who helped launch her career.

Following the birth of Julia’s twins in 2004, Julia and Eric reportedly had something of a reconciliation. A brand-new and brighter era of damage control commenced, with Eric telling Access Online: “There was never really a feud. We’re brother and sister and we both have really strong opinions about things, so it’s a lot of ‘f*** you,’ ‘no, f*** you,’ and hanging up the phone. But it got so blown out of proportion.”

Hugh Grant says she's got a big mouth — and can't kiss

He thinks Renée Zellweger is a “top snogger.” He got on fantastically with Sarah Jessica Parker and Sandra Bullock. But according to Julia Roberts’ former costar, Hugh Grant, kissing America’s Sweetheart is nothing to write home about. The stars’ lack of chemistry in their 1999 romantic comedy, Notting Hill, was certainly noted by L.A. Weekly, whose film critic described the movie as “a big, dreary star vehicle that sags whenever its leads spend quality time together.”

During an appearance on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in 2015, an especially acerbic Grant opened up about his filming experience, noting that Roberts “might hate me for saying this, but...” He claims kissing one of the world’s most beautiful women wasn’t particularly wonderful because “she had such a large mouth.” When Cohen needled Grant further about those kissy shenanigans, the Golden Globe-winner gamely doubled down.

Amal Clooney and Julia Roberts: best friends for never?

Are Julia Roberts and Amal Clooney (high-powered human rights lawyer and wife of actor George Clooney,) perpetually at each other’s swan-like throats? If the tabloids are to be believed, the answer is a decided mm-hmm. In 2016, In Touch (via Celebitchy) breathlessly reported that Roberts was none too pleased when Amal showed up at Cannes as George’s plus-one wearing a show-stopping yellow gown that stole the spotlight from Roberts, who was with George to promote the film Money Monster.

To exact her revenge, Roberts did what anybody would do: She allegedly started flirting mercilessly with George right in front of his wife, leaving Amal “seething.” Later, Amal reportedly cornered her husband, complaining that Julia was very “disrespectful.” Roberts subsequently had “a mini-meltdown” and laughed at [Amal] because she thinks she’s so absurd.

Julianna Margulies: Being her waitress was horrible

According to the Waiter Rule, “A person who is nice to you but rude to the waiter is not a nice person.” Julia Roberts is apparently unaware of this rule because according to The Good Wife star Julianna Margulies, Roberts can be exceedingly rude to waitstaff. Margulies has a very personal anecdote to back up that claim.

“I worked at one of these restaurants where it was only famous people who came in,” Margulies told David Letterman in 2010, “...And years later, I bumped into one of them: Julia Roberts. She’s lovely ... when you’re not waiting on her.” Apparently, the two actresses were working on plays directly across the street from one another in 2006, and one night, they wound up going out on the town together.

The Steel Magnolias director went after Roberts 'with a vengeance'

During filming of the 1989 tearjerker Steel Magnolias, a lot of behind-the-scenes weeping plagued the production. According to reports, most of those tears belonged to Julia Roberts. The late director Herbert Ross was extraordinarily demanding while shooting the film and reserved most of his ire for