JULIA Roberts AP
Julia Roberts is known as America’s Sweetheart, thanks to such sunny and feisty starrers as “Steel Magnolias,” “Pretty Woman,” “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” “Notting Hill,” “Runaway Bride,” “Erin Brockovich”—and, that’s right, “America’s Sweethearts” (with Catherine Zeta-Jones, Billy Crystal and John Cusack).
Of late, however, her “pretty” screen image has been getting a lot of “posthumous” bashing from half-sister Nancy who, before she committed suicide, called Julia a “monster” and a bully who humiliated her and practically pushed her into taking her own life!
You can’t argue against the recently departed, particularly when you have been “exposed” as the vile villain in her tragic life, so the movie star has been forced to stay out of the public eye for the time being, and has thought it best not to defend herself.
This has been particularly awkward and painful for her, because Nancy’s timing has been the worst possible—just as Oscar-nominee Julia was prepping up for the Academy Awards rites (held Monday morning in Manila)!
Given the sad and even sordid condition of her private life and her public image, Julia probably kissed all hopes of winning an Oscar this year goodbye, and simply hoped that other people would come to her defense and contradict or even just soften the brunt and sting of her half-sister’s shocking accusations.
For our part, we recall that, before Julia became a star, her brother Eric Roberts beat her to it, but he soon faded from stellar view. Even in his eclipse, however, she tried to help him as best she could, so her half-sister’s “monster” tirade appears to have come from left field.
Unless, in her case, Julia was resorting to “tough love” to force Nancy to get her reportedly messy life in order, and the half-sister interpreted the tough stance as “bullying.”
Another recollection in Julia’s favor is the fact that her niece, Emma Roberts, also became a movie actress, and Aunt Julia helped her get her foot in Hollywood’s door.
Is this the picture of a “monster” stellar relative? Only time and additional “proof” or counter-evidence will tell.
In any case, Julia shouldn’t think that she’s the only star whose relatives and dependents have turned against her. Many other stellar siblings have also had a rough and raucous time of it, showing that sibling rivalry can be especially vicious and vituperative when show biz stars and starlets are doing the fighting and feuding!
Looking back, some celebrated sibling tandems have had occasionally stormy relationships that have hit the tabloids, like Shirley Maclaine and her gorgeous kid brother, Warren Beatty. Shirley became a movie musical star long before Warren made his mark, but he’s since surpassed her in popularity, partly because he’s turned out to be a fine director on top of his many other stellar accomplishments. Stars never like being upstaged—and, if a younger sibling is the one doing the upstaging, it really rankles!
Also celebrated as feuding and feistily fighting sisters were Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine. In fact, Fontaine’s official career bio admits, “In the 1940s and ’50s, she had many well-publicized feuds with sister Olivia.” And, as for half-siblings Liza Minnelli and Lorna Luft, and all of the beautiful and bitchy Gabor sisters, they took the cake!