The Roberts Family are without a doubt one of the most interesting family units that Hollywood has ever seen. Eric, Julia, and Emma Roberts have all made big names for themselves respectively thanks to their brilliant acting ability, but that’s not always been the primary reason for them hitting the headlines.
Though fans would like to focus solely on their accolades and cinematic releases, the trio have often felt the glare of the spotlight for all of the wrong reasons.
Eric and Julia haven’t had the most conventional brother/sister relationship, going through some hugely traumatic times and a number of years when they didn’t even speak.
Emma, as the daughter to Eric, is on record as not having the best relationship with her father. Clearly closer to her aunt Julia, there’s all sorts of drama that’s gone on behind-the-scenes.
It’s unfortunate that these three have had all of their troubles play out in front of the world, but such is the price of being a celebrity.
With all of that in mind, we’ve gone back through the archives to take a look at some of the most interesting things that have happened within the Roberts Family throughout the years. Believe us when we tell you: there was a lot to look at!
Here, we delve into the 15 Crazy Things You Didn’t Know About Emma Roberts And Her Family.
Emma Roberts Is Accused Of Splitting Up An A-List Couple
Though she’s now happy with Evan Peters, Emma Roberts was the primary reason that Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen split up, according to a number of reports.
Bilson is said to have found text message exchanges between Christensen and Roberts, which led to her thinking the pair were getting closer than they should have been following their shoot on the movie Little Italy.
Bilson and Christensen’s relationship came to an end after a decade, having never married but sharing a young daughter.
No other news regarding Roberts and Christensen ever came to fruition, so we hope that the pair’s friendship isn’t the defining factor in bringing Bilson and Christensen’s relationship to a close.
We imagine there must have been a whole plethora of reasons for the partnership to end.
Eric Roberts’ 1987 Arrest
Eric Roberts is known to many as a bit of a troubled star, though not everybody knows exactly why.
One of the biggest scandals of his career came in 1987, when the actor was arrested for possession of both cocaine and marijuana. The drama didn’t end there, however.
Instead of taking the arrest on the chin, he resisted the police officer who was trying to take him in, and is even said to have tried to assault the New Yorker, throwing a punch at him but connecting with another on the shoulder.
He was being asked by the officer to stop banging on a woman’s door.
After spending 36 hours in a prison cell and pleading guilty to harassment, the actor had all of his other charges dropped. That wasn’t the end of his dramatic time in the spotlight, though.
Emma Roberts’ Domestic Abuse Scandal
Emma Roberts and Evan Peters may be a stronger couple than ever before today, but their relationship has truly gone through the motions.
Back in 2013, Emma was even arrested for an alleged domestic dispute with Evan, which took place inside a hotel and forced other guests to alert the authorities.
Eric would immediately stand up to defend his daughter, who is said to have given Evan a bloody nose and bite marks, saying that “unless you’re one of those people [involved], you do not know what happened.”
Evan refused to press charges on his partner, and the pair were seen looking more in love than ever before just a few days later. Let’s hope this Hollywood romance is now one that can live on peacefully and without scandal.
Julia Roberts Helped Fund Eric Roberts’ Ex’s Custody Battle
Eric Roberts and Julia Roberts may have had a lengthy estrangement as siblings, but the pair now seem to have their relationship back on track.
As family, they likely fought harder than anyone else who sits in the spotlight, and it was during a custody battle for Emma Roberts in which Julia made one of her biggest moves against her brother.
Having separated from Emma’s mother Kelly Cunningham, Eric and Kelly went to court to fight it out for custody rights to their daughter. Julia thought so little of her sibling, that she helped fund Kelly’s legal battles against her ex-partner. It was a move that shocked the celebrity world.
Despite all of that, when Julia and her husband Danny Moder welcomed twins in 2004, Eric says he and his wife Eliza were welcomed into the hospital with open arms. Since then, the pair seem to have gotten along swimmingly.
Julia Roberts Was “The Other Woman” Before Marrying Her Husband
One person who has admitted she has been “the other woman” however is Emma’s aunt, Julia Roberts.
The Pretty Woman star was actually responsible for the break up between her now-husband Danny Modor and his ex-wife Vera Steimberg, and it’s something that haunts her to this day.
Julia took the brunt of public outrage when she wore a shirt reading “A Low Vera,” taking a low blow at her partner’s ex.
According to one particular source, the extramarital romance is something that not only nearly ended Julia’s career because of the pressure surrounding her, but one that nearly ruined her life completely.
Rebuilding her image in the public eye, she’s regarding as one of the best actresses of the modern age, but we imagine the shadow of her affair is something that will linger forever.
Eric’s Second Brush With The Law
Though he married his wife Eliza Roberts in 1992, the honeymoon period was very much over in 1995 when Eric Roberts was arrested all over again.
This time, the arrest came because of a domestic dispute, in which he pushed his wife into a wall. Eliza is said to have hit her head during the confrontation, and Eric had to post $50,000 bail to escape sleeping behind bars.
The fight is something that led to Eric publicly announcing that he would be giving up drugs for good, and the pair obviously sorted out their marital problems, as they’ve remained alongside one another to this day.
Some people, they say, are made for one another. However, it is unsure whether this is the case here.
Julia Roberts Renames Her Children
Julia Roberts may not have opened up publicly about her Hindu faith until 2010, but back in 2009, she renamed her three children after Hindu Gods, with Swami Daram Dev of Ashram Hari Mandir in Pataudi leading the ceremony.
Hazel was renamed Laxmi, whilst Phinnaeus was given the name Ganesh, and Henry was called Krishna Balram. It’s all very Hollywood.
The event actually took place during Julia’s shooting for the film Eat Pray Love, with the actress shooting some of the scenes for the flick in the mess of the real-life ashram.
Swami Dharam Dev had only words of love for the cast and crew during the filming, saying that they “have not disturbed the sanctity of the ashram even as they complete everything as per schedule.”
Eric Roberts Claims Responsibility For Emma And Julia’s Success
Eric Roberts has never been a man not to boast whenever he has the opportunity. So much so, that he has taken credit in the past for both his sister Julia Roberts’ success, and that of his daughter, Emma Roberts.
Speaking about the pair, he’s said: “If it wasn’t for me, there would be no Julia Roberts and no Emma Roberts as celebrities, as actresses, and I’m very proud of that. When Julia first came to New York, I went into William Morris and I said, ‘Which one of you is going to sign my sister Julia?’”
He added: “And I am so proud that everybody knows I was first, because I was first by a long shot. I was first to get Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations, so I’m proud of that.”
Emma Roberts Is Actually Acting Because Of Julia
Despite Eric Roberts’ claims that his daughter Emma Roberts is in the world of acting because of him, she’s somebody who credits her aunt Julia Roberts as being the primary reason she’s now in the industry.
It’s something she opened up about in recent years, saying that she would be sat on the set of Erin Brockovich before running to “hide in her [Julia’s] makeup trailer.”
Comparing the experience to that of “summer camp,” Emma would go on to audition for roles from a very young age, landing her first part in 2001 movie Blow at just 10-years-old.
Now, she’s become a household name thanks to her Nickelodeon series Unfabulous, as well as cult movie Wild Child and her more recent TV appearances in Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story.
Julia Roberts Faced Reshoot Troubles In My Best Friend’s Wedding
Before movies hit the big screen, they’ll often be put in front of test audiences so that any minor changes can be made before their official debuts.
Something major had to happen with My Best Friend’s Wedding because of Julia Roberts’ character however, with director P.J. Hogan saying that when the character was given a happy ending, the audiences instead “wanted her dead.”
Originally, Julia’s character met a new man after failing to seduce Michael O’Neal (Dermot Mulroney), but that all had to be changed due to the negative response.
Instead of killing off the character, however, she would simply be given a dance during the wedding reception with Jules’ gay best friend. This is said to have allowed viewers to forgive her scheming after all!
Julia And Emma Roberts Starred In The Same Movie Together - But Shared No Scenes
When both Julia and Emma Roberts signed up to star in 2010 movie Valentine’s Day, fans were excited about the prospect of seeing the family members on the big screen together for the first time.
That excitement dissipated, however, when the movie actually made its debut, and the two didn’t even share a single scene together. The narrative just didn’t allow for their characters to cross paths.
Still, perhaps the film wasn’t the best place for that sort of thing to happen. Though it had been touted as the next big thing following Love Actually, it received largely negative reviews from the critics and wider viewing public.
The Roberts gave good performances, as is often the case for the pair, but with such a huge roster of characters it was hard to really care about anybody on screen. Let’s hope for a better opportunity for the two in the future.
Emma Roberts Released A Billboard Charting Album
Though she’s best known for her work on both the big and small screen, Emma Roberts did once upon a time release an album called Unfabulous and More.
Not only did she drop the collection of cheesy pop tunes, but she managed to reach number 46 on the U.S. Billboard Top Heatseekers Chart; quite an achievement for such an eclectic LP!
Serving as the soundtrack to her Nickelodeon series Unfabulous, the collection went down well with fans and actually picked up a few positive reviews from the critics.
In the network’s attempt to launch Roberts as an all-rounder however, as Disney likes to do with their own child prodigies, they fell a little short. Thankfully, Emma has enough acting talents to see her well into the future.
Eric Roberts Went On Celebrity Rehab
Back to Eric Roberts here, and in 2011 he opened up to the world all about his addictions once more, taking part in the fourth season of VH1 reality television series Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.
Admitting his dependency on medical marijuana, the show would see his wife Eliza Roberts as well as his stepson Keaton Simons appear, chatting about the effects his addiction has had on all of their lives.
Eric wasn’t the only celebrity taking part in the show, with the likes of Janice Dickinson, Jason Davis, and Leif Garrett all also starring and tackling various other addictions.
Hollywood is clearly a very dangerous place for addictive personalities, with stars walking a thin line in their battle to remain on the straight and narrow.
Julia And Eric Roberts’ Sister Took Her Own Life
Julia and Eric Roberts’ sister Nancy Motes – the aunt to Emma Roberts – was just 37-years-old when she took her own life.
In a note left behind, she said that her half-sister Julia had been so cruel that she had driven her “into the deepest depression I’ve ever been in.” Harsh words, and something we imagine Julia would have found incredibly hard to deal with.
The letter had three sections, with one addressed to Nancy’s fiancé John Dilbeck, another addressed to her mother Betty and Julia, and the final section addressed to “everyone.”
Nancy had enjoyed a successful career, serving as a production assistant on the hit TV series Glee, but took her own life overdosing on drugs, drowning in a bath surrounded by both prescription and non-prescription pills.
They Have 604 Acting Credits Between Them
Yep, you read that correctly! Things only get more shocking when you come to realize that Eric Roberts is actually responsible for 497 of the 604 total acting credits, 30 of which are for projects set to be released this year.
Julia Roberts and Emma Roberts may pale in comparison when you look at their 60 acting credits and 47 acting credits respectively, but it would be fair to say that the pair may have put quality ahead of quantity when it comes to picking and choosing what to be a part of!
This year, we’ll see Emma star in the previously-mentioned and much-anticipated Little Italy alongside Hayden Christensen, whilst Julia will star in upcoming drama Ben is Back, which currently sits in post-production. We can’t wait to see what comes next for the scandalous trio.
Can you think of any other interesting facts about the Roberts Family? Sound off in the comments!
