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Family, as you’ve probably noticed, is tough. Tougher still are the difficulties that come with trying to maintain a functioning family dynamic while living in the public eye, the way that Julia Roberts and her brother have tried to do over the last few decades.
You probably know Human Centipede III star Eric Roberts. He’s nothing if not prolific, appearing in 32 films in 2021 alone. Depending on where you land on the nerd spectrum, you’ll remember him in his Academy Award-nominated turn in Runaway Train, as Sal Maroni in 2008’s The Dark Knight, or as The Master in that ‘90s Doctor Who TV movie that people try not to talk about. The guy has been around.
Eric Roberts’ messy years
As often happens, his successes brought Roberts nose-to-nose with substance abuse issues. Speaking with Vanity Fair, he described becoming “exhausting to be around: complainy, blamey, unable to enjoy enjoyment” as a result of his drug use. The arrests couldn’t have helped, either – he was brought in for cocaine and marijuana possession, as well as resisting arrest, in 1987, and again in 1995 after a physical altercation with his wife. Julia cut ties with her brother, the man who’d been credited with finding her representation when she was first breaking into show business. She even helped his ex pay her legal fees during custody hearings over Roberts’ daughter, Emma. “Everyone in my world needed a break sometimes,” Eric recalled, “and that must have included Julia.”
Happily, the Roberts siblings reunited and reconciled in 2004 when Julia gave birth to twins, with Eric describing the affair as a pleasant surprise steeped in “brotherly and uncle-ly love.” The two have since enjoyed holiday get-togethers, and they remain in touch to this day.