Julia Roberts discussed her approach to parenting and family life in a new interview with longtime friend George Clooney for the inaugural issue of 72 Magazine, saying she and her husband established firm rules and boundaries as their three children reached college age.
The 57-year-old Oscar winner told Clooney, in remarks included in an excerpt obtained by Us Weekly, that she and cinematographer husband Danny Moder were "some of the stricter parents" in their community and limited their children's internet access when they were younger. Roberts and Moder share twins Hazel and Phinnaeus, 20, and son Henry, 18; all three are now in college.
"When they were younger, certainly, Danny and I would have been considered some of the stricter parents," Roberts said. "Not like we’re laying down the law, but these are the rules and they don’t change. Here’s the boundary of your life and it does not shift. You know, you don’t ask me and get an answer and then go ask dad and get a different answer. That doesn’t happen. It will never happen." She added that the consistency helped create "stability" and a "fixed world of love and safety" for the children.
Roberts also addressed how and when her children came to understand her celebrity. "And I think when kids are little, kids only know what you let them know. I can’t even tell you how old my kids probably were when they really understood my place in a work world," she said in the excerpt. She told Clooney that she and Moder are "definitely aligned in our core values and always have been," and that instilling values was a central part of their parenting.
The full conversation between Roberts and Clooney is due to be published in the magazine on Sept. 12, the outlet said. The interview appears as Roberts prepares for the October release of her new film, After The Hunt, in which she plays a college professor named Alma Olsson. Directed by Luca Guadagnino, the psychological drama also stars Andrew Garfield, Ayo Edebiri, Michael Stuhlbarg and Chloë Sevigny and explores accusations leveled against a colleague and a long-buried secret from the protagonist's past.
Roberts and Moder celebrated their 23rd wedding anniversary on July 4. Social media posts from the family have marked recent milestones: Moder shared a Mother's Day image earlier this year, and Roberts posted a childhood photo of Henry in June to mark his 18th birthday.
Roberts has kept a relatively private life while maintaining a longstanding film career that has included big‑budget studio fare and acclaimed indie projects. The comments in 72 Magazine mark a rare, extended public reflection on parenting from the actress, who has in recent months appeared in promotional images for After The Hunt with a new look, trading her familiar curls for a long blonde bob as part of her role transformation.
The interview underscores a generational shift in how some celebrity parents balanced public life and private family boundaries amid the rise of smartphones and social media. Roberts’ description of delayed phone access and consistent household rules reflects the couple’s effort to create a stable home environment while navigating the demands of two entertainment industry careers.
Roberts’ remarks were first reported by the Daily Mail and circulated via an excerpt obtained by Us Weekly. The complete dialogue with Clooney will be available in 72 Magazine on Sept. 12.