Julia Roberts makes a comeback! All about her iconic career

Julia Roberts may be the Hollywood name on everyone's lips this holiday season. That's because she's just come out with a stellar performance in the film that shot to number one on Netflix in December 2023.

Yes, Roberts once again capitivated audiences as the prickly matriarch in a chilling doomsday thriller about a family getaway unraveling into chaos and collapse. And sources told US Weekly that with her kids growing up and off to college, audiences may be seeing a lot more of Roberts soon!

Image: 'Leave the World Behind' trailer, Netflix, Youtube

And while Roberts may have some of the most star power in Hollywood, her career has been anything but straightforward. She started hot but then faced some of the most backlash that a young star has had to cope with. Here's a look back on her career and some hints for what to expect next.

Julia Roberts was born in 1967 in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia and was propelled to becoming one of the iconic stars of the 1990s and beyond. A stunning beauty, she first signed as a model in New York and then quickly landed some acting gigs.

When she was cast to star in ‘Pretty Woman,’ she was mostly known for her part in the low-key film ‘Mystic Pizza.’ In the press leading up to 1990, she was defined by her relationship with her brother Eric, who was an Oscar-nominated actor most famous in the 1980s.

Roberts eventually won the role of Vivienne, a street walker with a heart of gold, after Michelle Pfeiffer, Molly Ringwald, Meg Ryan, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Karen Allen, and Daryl Hannah all turned the part down.

Image: Pretty Woman, Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

But things started moving fast in 1990. That was the year she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her heartbreaking role as a diabetic woman in ‘Steel Magnolias.’ She even snagged the Golden Globe for the part.

Image: Steel Magnolias, Tri-Star Pictures

‘Pretty Woman’ hit theaters right after the Oscars, and it catapulted Julia to become Hollywood’s leading actress. The film saw the highest number of ticket sales in the US ever for a rom-com and got her another Academy Award nomination, this time for Best Actress.

Image: Pretty Woman, Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Before she exploded in ‘Pretty Woman’, she had already committed to filming ‘Sleeping with the Enemy’ for cheap. In the movie, her character was physically and s e x u a l l y abused, which she told the press was hard for her to handle personally. In one scene, she actually hit her head on the marble floor for real, and she was kicked in the head.

Image: 'Sleeping with the Enemy,' 20th Century Fox

While she shot to supernova status at age 22, as the ultimate icon of 90s womanhood, people were already trying to tear her down. Critics hated ‘Sleeping with the Enemy’ for its depiction of domestic abuse. They also said she was just a pretty face in the film, a sentiment echoed by others who questioned her rapid rise to fame.

Her complicated love life also added to the cultural obsession with her. She lived with Liam Neeson after they met for her first film ‘Satisfaction.’ Then, she hooked up with Dylan McDermott after the two worked together on ‘Steel Magnolias.’ However, it became a frenzy when she got engaged to Kiefer Sutherland, whom she met while filming 'Flatliners' (1990).

In 1991, Julia and Kiefer appeared on the cover story in People magazine titled “Julia in Love,” just a few months before they were set to get married. However, in the story, a source said Kiefer was jealous of her success.

Four months later, amid rumors of infidelity on his part, she called the wedding off three days before it was scheduled. The media swarmed their home. She ran off with actor Jason Patric to Ireland.

After ‘Hook’ and ‘Dying Young,’ also in 1991, she took a two-year hiatus from the screen, during which People magazine published a striking headline asking about the whereabouts of the Hollywood 'it' girl. But in 1993, she starred in the film ‘The Pelican Brief’ alongside Denzel Washington.

Image: People Magazine, Feb.8, 1993

After her comeback, her career was marked by a series of legendary flops: 'I Love Trouble' (1994), 'Prêt-à-Porter' (1994), 'Something to Talk About' (1995), and 'Mary Reilly' (1996). Art reflected life, as she married and divorced country singer Lyle Lovett around the same time.

After falling from grace as a celebrity, 1997 was her year. That’s when she starred in a classic rom-com: ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding.’

Image: Sony Pictures

The actress was back big time with her next films: the heart-wrencher ‘Stepmom (1998)’, and two more classic rom-coms, ‘Runaway Bride (1999)’ and ‘Notting Hill' (1999). ‘Runaway Bride’ played on her own celebrity persona. Through much of this period, she was dating Benjamin Bratt.

Image: 'Runaway Bride,' Paramount Pictures & Buena Vista International

Speaking to the New York Times in 2022, Julia said she hadn’t starred in a romantic comedy since the turn of the century for one simple reason: there wasn’t a single good script. She said family life had made her extra choosy as well. However, in 2022, she broke the streak in rom-com ‘Ticket to Paradise’ with George Clooney.

While not making rom-coms, Julia finally landed herself a Best Actress Oscar for her role in the legal drama 'Erin Brockovich.' She played an unemployed single mother who ended up fighting against a massive corporation for environmental pollution.

While filming ‘The Mexican’ in 2000, she met cameraman Daniel Moder. However, he was married, and she was dating Benjamin Bratt. They ended up breaking off both their relationships and got married in 2002. In 2004, they had twins, and in 2007, another son. They are still together, 23 years later.

While Julia was one of the highest-paid actors throughout the 1990s and 2000s, her biggest paycheck came from the 2003 film ‘Mona Lisa Smile.’ It was actually the highest salary ever paid to an actress for a film role at the time: 25 million dollars, according to Yahoo Finance.

Known for her endless smile, rumor has it that the star had her smile insured. Speaking to the New York Times in 2022, she cleared up the strange gossip. “I mean, if my smile was insured, there would be someone at my house on a nightly basis saying, ‘You need to floss longer.’”

After tons of other successful films, Julia started to embrace her spiritual side around 2010, announcing that she’d become a Hindu. That same year, she starred in the classic film about a woman finding herself: ‘Eat Pray Love.’

Roberts has stayed on the A-list since then, appearing in over 50 films, including other hits like 'Money Monster' and 'Wonder.' Throughout her incredible career, which has contained its ups and downs, the star has managed to gain a net worth of $250 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

In 2023, Deadline broke the news that Julia Roberts is filming a body swap comedy a la ‘Freaky Friday,’ with fellow 90s icon Jennifer Aniston. It’s reportedly being written and directed by Max Barbakow, best known for the fabulous sci-fi film ‘Palm Springs.’