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Louise Thomas
Editor
Eric Roberts has said he’s not allowed to talk about his famous Oscar-winning sister.
The actor, who has amassed more than 700 credits in a career spanning five decades, is the older brother of Hollywood star Julia Roberts, 56, with whom he’s had a rocky relationship over the years.
This was due to Eric’s struggles with addiction, which led to his split from actor Kelly Cunningham. Julia, who was said to be inseparable from her brother, funded her sister-in-law’s legal fees during a custody battle with their daughter, Emma, the successful American Horror Story actor, who recently rallied against claims she’s a “nepo baby”.
Eric, who was Oscar-nominated for 1985 action film Runaway Train and has appeared in films including The Dark Knight and The Expendables, became estranged from Julia until 2004.
The 68-year-old told Vanity Fair in 2018 that he “wouldn’t characterise it as a falling-out”, and blamed himself for their soured relationship, stating: “I was exhausting to be around: complainy, blamey, unable to enjoy enjoyment. Everyone in my world needed a break sometimes, and that must have included Julia.”
However, Eric claims Julia has now instructed him to keep quiet about their private life. Speaking on the podcast Still Here Hollywood, Eric told host Steve Kmetko: “I love my sister, but I can’t talk about her. She don’t want to talk about it.”
He also claimed his daughter “told me not to talk about her”, adding: ”I’m not supposed to talk about either of them, but I do.”
Eric proved this later in the interview when he praised Emma’s acting career. He said: “I’m in love with my daughter’s work these days. I can’t believe how great she’s become. I’m so proud of her I can’t see straight.”
The actor continued: “Since her performance in Maybe I Do until right now, she overwhelms me with pride and just, ‘Oh my God, here she goes again.’ And I’m just so happy to be her dad because she’s kicking ass. And I’m so proud.”
He said he has contributed “absolutely nothing” to her success “except I gave her that name”. However, Emma, 33, recently claimed that she has lost roles due to her famous family.
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“I’ve lost more jobs than I’ve gained from being in the business,” she told Flaunt magazine. “People have opinions and sometimes maybe they’re not good opinions of people in your family. I’ve never gotten a job because of it, I know I definitely have lost a couple of jobs because of it.”
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