Julia Roberts is set to return to the romantic comedy genre with "Ticket to Paradise," starring alongside George Clooney. The film, slated for release later this year, marks Roberts' first lead in a traditional rom-com in over two decades. While Roberts was a rom-com icon in the 1990s with films like "Pretty Woman" and "My Best Friend's Wedding," she took a hiatus from the genre.
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Roberts clarified that her absence from rom-coms was not intentional. She revealed that the primary reason for the hiatus was the lack of quality scripts or ideas that matched the level of writing seen in films like "Notting Hill" and "My Best Friend's Wedding."
"People sometimes misconstrue the amount of time that’s gone by that I haven’t done a romantic comedy as my not wanting to do one. If I had read something that I thought was that 'Notting Hill' level of writing or 'My Best Friend’s Wedding' level of madcap fun, I would do it. They didn’t exist until this movie that I just did that Ol Parker wrote and directed," Roberts explained.
The Ol Parker-directed film "Ticket to Paradise" almost didn't happen, as Roberts initially thought it would only work well if paired with Clooney. However, Clooney felt the film worked best with Roberts, and both actors eventually signed on.
Roberts acknowledged that her family responsibilities, including raising three children, influenced her decision to be more selective about film projects. Despite the hiatus, she expressed a sense of pride in being a homemaker and a responsibility to show her children the meaningfulness of pursuing creative endeavors.
Roberts dismissed a long-standing rumor that her trademark smile was insured for $30 million, stating, "No. What am I insuring it against? How would you do that? … I mean, if my smile was insured, there would be someone at my house on a nightly basis saying, ‘You need to floss longer.'"
The return of Julia Roberts to the rom-com genre is anticipated by fans who have fond memories of her iconic roles in romantic comedies from the '90s.
