I think enough cannot be said for what you can discover through literature. So I think that was probably my most valued characteristic as a teenager.

I do think that I am fundamentally the same relatively simple person I've always been. I just have this flashy, wacky job [actress] that confuses people into thinking that I'm somehow ultrafascinating.

I want my kids to know when I'm pissed, when I'm happy and when I'm confounded.

Two of my three siblings are older, so I suppose I learned from them and became a very avid reader at a young age, which I think enough cannot be said for what you can discover through literature.

People talk about this Julia Roberts almost like it's a cup of Pepsi. People think Julia Roberts is something they created. The fact is, 26 years ago, there was this scrunched-up little pink baby named Julia Roberts. I am a girl, like anybody else.

I had lunch the other day with my niece, Emma, and she said, 'You're so smart, Aunt Julia.' And I wanted to say, 'I'm not smart - I'm 41! You're 17!'

It's amazing what can happen if you just put your arm around somebody.