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Tag: Julia Roberts

  • Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston to star in a body swap comedy

    By Express News Service

    Amazon Studios has acquired rights for the upcoming body swap comedy feature starring Julia Roberts and Jennifer Aniston. The banner won the rights in the auction against four other studios and streamers.

    Written and directed by Max Barbakow (Palm Springs), the comedy is backed by LuckyChap Entertainment, the production label of Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley and Josey McNamara.

    The director is also producing the feature with Roberts’ Red Om Films banner and Aniston’s Echo Films.

    The announcement follows Roberts’ recent hit, Ticket to Paradise. She was also recently seen in the thriller mini-series Gaslit. She is popularly known for her roles in ’90s films like Pretty Woman, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Runaway Bride and Notting Hill.

    On the other hand, Aniston, who rose to fame with the Friends series, is also known for her performance in films like Office Christmas Party, Along Came Polly, Bruce Almighty, The Bounty Hunter, Horrible Bosses, and We’re the Millers. 

    Amazon Studios has acquired rights for the upcoming body swap comedy feature starring Julia Roberts and Jennifer Aniston. The banner won the rights in the auction against four other studios and streamers.

    Written and directed by Max Barbakow (Palm Springs), the comedy is backed by LuckyChap Entertainment, the production label of Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley and Josey McNamara.

    The director is also producing the feature with Roberts’ Red Om Films banner and Aniston’s Echo Films.

    The announcement follows Roberts’ recent hit, Ticket to Paradise. She was also recently seen in the thriller mini-series Gaslit. She is popularly known for her roles in ’90s films like Pretty Woman, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Runaway Bride and Notting Hill.

    On the other hand, Aniston, who rose to fame with the Friends series, is also known for her performance in films like Office Christmas Party, Along Came Polly, Bruce Almighty, The Bounty Hunter, Horrible Bosses, and We’re the Millers.
     

  • Oliver Parker’s ‘Ticket to Paradise’ to release on Oct 6

    By Express News Service

    Ticket to Paradise, the romantic comedy starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts, will hit theatres in India on October 6. Directed by Oliver Parker, the film also stars Kaitlyn Dever, Maxime Bouttier, Lucas Bravo, Billie Lourd in pivotal roles.  

    Ticket To Paradise revolves around a divorced couple, Georgia (Julia Roberts) and David (George Clooney) who team up and travel to Bali so as to stop their daughter from making the same mistake they think they made 25 years ago.

    George Clooney said, “Julia and I weren’t actively looking for a project to do together, but, of course, it was easy to say yes to a chance to work on another project with her. Ol Parker  sent the script to both of us at the same time and said that he had written the parts for Julia and me. So, right after I read it, I called Julia and told her, ‘I’ll do it if you do it,’ and she said, ‘Well, I’ll do it if you will.’ And not long after that, we were heading to Australia.”

    “George and I have always had a good chemistry as friends. We approach our work in similar ways as well,” said Julia Roberts.

    Ticket to Paradise, the romantic comedy starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts, will hit theatres in India on October 6. Directed by Oliver Parker, the film also stars Kaitlyn Dever, Maxime Bouttier, Lucas Bravo, Billie Lourd in pivotal roles.  

    Ticket To Paradise revolves around a divorced couple, Georgia (Julia Roberts) and David (George Clooney) who team up and travel to Bali so as to stop their daughter from making the same mistake they think they made 25 years ago.

    George Clooney said, “Julia and I weren’t actively looking for a project to do together, but, of course, it was easy to say yes to a chance to work on another project with her. Ol Parker  sent the script to both of us at the same time and said that he had written the parts for Julia and me. So, right after I read it, I called Julia and told her, ‘I’ll do it if you do it,’ and she said, ‘Well, I’ll do it if you will.’ And not long after that, we were heading to Australia.”

    “George and I have always had a good chemistry as friends. We approach our work in similar ways as well,” said Julia Roberts.

  • Interview | Acting is a funny, nutty business: Julia Roberts

    Express News Service

    What can you tell us about the role you play in Gaslit?I play Martha Mitchell who really was a bit of a rags-to-riches kind of woman. She came from a small town in Arkansas and a family that lived below the poverty line. She met John Mitchell, they fell madly in love and then he became the Attorney General to the President. On the surface, it sounds like a pretty great little timeline to portray, but it was all the things in between that attracted me to the role––the big, drunken party version of Martha. That stuff is fun to play.

    How much did you already know about Martha Mitchell before Gaslit came to you? Not much at all. Almost nothing, actually. I had heard of her, but I didn’t know much about her as the big, outspoken and the hugely opinionated person she was, and also that she was very shy and didn’t like public speaking. There are all of these paradoxes about her that were fun to get to play with and then of course there is the fact of how devoted she was to her husband and her family.

    What did it take for you to transform into Martha Mitchell physically?It was nothing compared to Sean’s herculean prosthetics but I had this piece that I wore on top of my teeth to kind of change the shape of my mouth a little bit. I remember one time Sean and I had a scene where we are supposed to be kissing. He knocks me off of the couch and he jumps on top of me and I was laughing so hard that this thing popped out. It’s loose in my mouth while Sean is trying to kiss me. 

    How did you find the chemistry with Sean Penn as John to your Martha?It was really always there. Sean and I have been good friends for a long, long time and we were able to bring that to this. There was no need to fake it. Sean came over to my house with (director) Matt Ross to read through all of the scenes. We sat at the kitchen table and read just these John and Martha scenes, their entire love story, and it was just a joy to figure out how to portray this beautiful, tender and fun relationship that then turned very sour.

    But this is the very first time you and Sean have worked together. You have never done that before. It’s strange, but yeah. I just feel so lucky that the stars aligned to bring us together for something with such great characters, a great story and in this great time period. 

    We also get to see you returning to romantic comedy later this year in Ticket to Paradise. How was it to work with George Clooney again on that movie and to work in that genre again?It was heaven. It was everything that you would imagine. It was fun and it was outrageous. The world has been through such a dark time, so Ticket to Paradise is our attempt to just bring a little sunshine into popular culture and to make people laugh and smile again. And if it’s half as fun to watch as it was for George and I to make, then it should be awfully entertaining.

    How do you approach going from playing someone like Martha Mitchell to a romantic comedy role?It’s always different and the same. For me, there is always one piece of the puzzle that reveals itself to me early on––like the character’s hair or something like that. Once that first piece of the puzzle reveals itself to me, then the rest starts to fall into place. 

    What is it that makes you want to keep testing yourself in such a variety of film and TV projects?I just love the circus of it all. It’s a funny, nutty business and the hours are so long that it’s hard to not live in a trailer. I’m just super amused by all of it and I love the camaraderie. I love the incredible team effort it takes to tell these stories. I love the feeling of newness of a scenario or a person that is not me. There lies the challenge, to separate myself and my personality to be somebody else. It’s a funny job to have but I love it. 

    How do you choose projects?I follow what I call my internal compass. I read a script and when I finish it, I know if I want to do that or I don’t. That is what I have based my choices on for the past 30 years.

    Do you have any plans in the future to work with your husband again?I think we have worked together seven times and I love working with Danny. I don’t know how it is for him though… you’ll have to ask him! We haven’t got anything coming up but I would love to do something else.

    You are one of the most respected and recognisable stars in Hollywood. How hard does that make it for you to enjoy a normal family life?I have never been a person that attracted that kind of energy that means you can’t just go to the grocery store. When people do speak to me, it’s usually pretty normal–– like I’m their neighbour or something. ‘My daughter looks just like you,’ or ‘Oh, you cut your hair,’ those are the kind of things people approach me with as opposed to anything I can’t handle. Asia Features

  • Kissing is the key to a happy marriage, says Julia Roberts

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: Hollywood star Julia Roberts says “kissing” is the key to a marriage while appearing on ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

    The ‘Pretty Woman’ star believes the key to her more than two decades of marriage to cinematographer Daniel Moder is not forgetting to have a smooch and show each other affection while appearing on the ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

    After being asked by host Stephen Colbert to reveal her tricks on the count to three. The 54-year-old actress said immediately: “Kissing”.

    The 57-year-old talk show host said the key was taking the time to “apologise”, and immediately wanted to take it back.

    Stephen quipped: “Well, I would like to apologise to my wife for not saying ‘kissing’.”

    Elsewhere, Roberts spoke about her new miniseries ‘Gaslit’.

    The Oscar winner couldn’t help but gush over her co-star Sean Penn, who plays her character Martha Mitchell’s husband US Attorney General John N. Mitchell on the Starz show about the Watergate scandal, which was adapted from the ‘Slow Burn’ podcast by journalist Leon Neyfakh.

    She said: “He doesn’t want anyone to know how nice and sweet he is because it would destroy his reputation that he’s worked so hard on. He had so much patience getting all of this makeup done. He just was rock steady. All his stuff on, he would just sit there.”

    Roberts also excited about working with George Clooney for the fifth time on their new rom-com ‘Ticket to Paradise’ while “heavily bubbled” due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

    The actress said: “We were heavily, heavily bubbled,” before saying of George that “everything you think he is, he is more than that.”

  • Julia Roberts talks about her look in the web series ‘Gaslit’

    By IANS

    MUMBAI: Hollywood star Julia Roberts shares in detail about her transformation as Martha Mitchell, with the help of prosthetics in the web series ‘Gaslit’, which also stars Sean Penn.

    Roberts is essaying the character of Martha Elizabeth Beall Mitchell who was the wife of John N. Mitchell, United States Attorney General. She was known for her comments against the government during the Watergate scandal in the United States from 1972 to 1974.

    The actress says: “This was a real team effort, and it took a lot of time to create the looks. We had lots of great photos for reference. I think Terrie Owen worked magic with the incredible wigs.”

    She briefs more about her look and how the entire team worked on making it perfect.

    “Jean Black with the makeup and the appliance I wear inside my mouth, and the great Susie DeSanto, who has an incredible eye and was so true to how we wanted Martha to look. It was a lot of work, but it was incredibly fun to cook it up,” she adds.

    Directed by Matt Ross, the series also features Dan Stevens, Betty Gilpin and Shea Wigham, amongst others.

    ‘Gaslit’ will premiere on Lionsgate Play from April 25.

  • Ticket to Paradise halts shoot in Australia

    By Express News Service

    According to sources close to the film, George Clooney and Julia Roberts-starrer Ticket To Paradise has halted filming in Australia. It is said to be due to a serious outbreak of Covid cases in Queensland state. It is also reported that both the actors have hence flown back to the US.

    Ticket to Paradise is directed by Mamma Mia fame Ol Parker and it is about two parents, who are divorced. They rush to Bali to stop their daughter from consenting to an unwise marriage, very much like their own. Whitsunday Islands in Australia is to be used as a stand-in for Bali, and other locations where filming is said to take place includes Brisbane and Gold Coast.

    The film is reportedly just two weeks from completion but according to local reports, the crew may not be able to roll the camera again for three months. It is also speculated that the three-month halt will further delay the release of the film. Universal, had initially slated the film to be released in September; however, they had postponed it to October 21. Ticket to Paradise is produced through the UK-based company Working Title, Roberts’ Red Om Films and Clooney’s Smokehouse Pictures. 

  • Ethan Hawke, Myha’la Herrold board Netflix thriller ‘Leave the World Behind’

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: Hollywood star Ethan Hawke and “Industry” breakout Myha’la Herrold have joined the cast of the Netflix thriller feature “Leave the World Behind”, to be directed by “Mr Robot” creator Sam Esmail.

    Hawke and Herrold join previously announced stars Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali, reported Deadline.

    Ryan Kiera Armstrong and Charlie Evans also round out the cast of the film.

    Based on Rumaan Alam’s novel of the same name, “Leave the World Behind” follows two families, strangers to each other, who are forced together on a long weekend gone terribly wrong.

    The story will explore the themes of parenthood, race, and class.

    Roberts will play the mother of the family that rents a house and Ali will portray the homeowner.

    Hawke will play Roberts’ husband, Herrold will play Ali’s daughter, and Armstrong and Evans will play Roberts and Hawke’s children.

    Esmail, who will also adapt the book, will also produce the film with Chad Hamilton through their Esmail Corp along with Roberts for her Red Om Films banner.

    Author Alam will serve as an executive producer.

    Esmail and Roberts have previously worked together on the first season of the Amazon Prime Video series “Homecoming”.

  • Mahershala Ali to star alongside Julia Roberts in Netflix’s ‘Leave the World Behind’

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: Oscar winner Mahershala Ali will star opposite Julia Roberts in the Netflix family drama film “Leave the World Behind”.

    Hollywood veteran Denzel Washington was earlier in talks for one of the lead roles in the project, which was first announced back in July 2020, but now Ali will play that part, reported Deadline.

    The movie is based on the novel of the same name by author Rumaan Alam.

    “Mr Robot” creator Sam Esmail attached to direct and adapt the book.

    Esmail has earlier worked with Julia Roberts on the first season of Amazon Prime Video series Homecoming.

    “Leave the World Behind” follows two families, strangers to each other, who are forced together on a long weekend gone terribly wrong.

    Roberts will play the mother of the family that rents a house and Ali will portray the homeowner.

    The story will explore the themes of parenthood, race, and class.

    The film will be produced by Roberts through her Red Om Films banner and Esmail and Chad Hamilton through Esmail Corp.

    Alam will serve as an executive producer.

    Ali, who has won two Oscars for his performances in “Moonlight” and “Green Book”, will next feature in Apple Studios film “Swan Song”.

    He will also star in Marvel Studios movie “Blade”, to be directed by Bassam Tariq. 

  • George Clooney, Julia Roberts-starrer ‘Ticket To Paradise’ locks September 2022 release date

    By PTI
    LOS ANGELES: Hollywood stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts’ upcoming movie “Ticket To Paradise” will be released in the US theatrically on September 30, 2022. The film will feature Clooney and Roberts as a divorced couple who teams up and travels to Bali to stop their daughter from making the same mistake they think they made 25 years ago.

    The two actors previously shared screen space in movies such as “Ocean’s 11”, “Ocean’s 12” and “Money Monster. According to Variety, “Ticket To Paradise” is expected to begin filming later this year. The movie will be shot on location in Queensland, Australia, and will get tax incentives from the Australian federal government and from Screen Queensland’s Production Attraction Strategy.

    Ol Parker, known for movies like “Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again” and “Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”, will direct from a script he wrote with Daniel Pipski. Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner will produce alongside Deborah Balderstone and Sarah Harvey.

    Clooney is also producing with Grant Heslov for Smokehouse Pictures, alongside Roberts, Lisa Roberts Gillan and Marisa Yeres Gill for Red Om Films.

  • Dan Stevens replaces Armie Hammer in Julia Roberts-starrer Watergate series ‘Gaslit’

    By PTI
    LOS ANGELES: Actor Dan Stevens has joined Hollywood stars Julia Roberts and Sean Penn in Watergate series “Gaslit”, an upcoming anthology based on award-winning podcast “Slow Burn”. According to Variety, set up at Starz, the first season of the Robbie Pickering-created show will focus on the Watergate scandal that brought down the presidency of Richard Nixon in 1974.

    Stevens, who has previously starred in television hits such as “Downton Abbey” and “Legion”, will play former White House counsel John Dean replacing actor Armie Hammer, who fell off the show in the wake of sexual assault allegations.

    “The show focuses on the untold stories and forgotten characters of the scandal – from Nixon’s bumbling, opportunistic subordinates, to the deranged zealots aiding and abetting their crimes, to the tragic whistleblowers who would eventually bring the whole rotten enterprise crashing down,” the plotline reads.

    Roberts will star as Martha Mitchell, a celebrity Arkansan socialite and wife to Nixon’s loyal Attorney General, John Mitchell (Penn). “Captain Fantastic” director Matt Ross will helm the series, which will be produced by UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group, for Starz.