What keeps Julia Roberts excited about acting after all these years

What keeps Julia Roberts excited about acting after all these years

At 58, with an Oscar, decades of iconic roles, and global stardom behind her, Julia Roberts could easily coast on her legacy. Instead, she approaches each project with the wide-eyed enthusiasm of someone just discovering the magic of storytelling. In Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt (2025), her nuanced portrayal of Professor Alma Imhoff — a woman navigating moral complexity, personal secrets, and academic power dynamics — has been hailed as one of her most compelling performances. It’s a reminder that Roberts’ passion for acting isn’t dimmed by time; if anything, it has deepened.

What fuels her fire? Collaboration and discovery sit at the heart of it. Working with Guadagnino, whom she describes as profoundly knowledgeable and passionate, reignited her intellectual curiosity. She filled notebooks with references to philosophers, books, and ideas to inhabit Alma’s academic world. “He was a springboard for my enthusiasm,” Roberts has shared, emphasizing how the director’s vision pushed her to explore new layers of character interiority. Long days on set — even 17- or 27-hour marathons — feel like “one of the all-time great days” because she’s fully immersed in the dream she’s lived since childhood.

Roberts often speaks of acting as living her dream daily. From her earliest memory of seeing Yul Brynner in The King and I as a seven-year-old, she understood performance as something magical. That sense of wonder persists. In SAG-AFTRA Foundation conversations, she lights up describing the joy of being “joyous” on set, even amid challenges. The process — rehearsing, connecting with co-stars like Ayo Edebiri and Andrew Garfield, building intimate scenes — keeps her energized. It’s not about fame or box office anymore; it’s about the human exchange, the shared energy in telling layered stories.

With her three children now grown, Roberts has more space to lean into this passion. She jokes about having “maybe three and a half movies left” in her, but approaches those remaining roles with intention. Theater beckons again — a full-circle return to live performance. She selects projects that challenge her and resonate personally, like the morally ambiguous world of After the Hunt, which allowed her to examine trauma, resilience, and connection. Off-screen stability with husband Danny Moder provides grounding, letting her bring authentic emotional depth to the screen.

Early career insecurities and criticism taught her endurance, shaping a mindset focused on personal growth over external validation. Today, she values authenticity: aging gracefully, embracing complexity, and finding joy in ordinary yet profound moments. Whether defending a marriage on screen or sparring ethically in a classroom, Roberts infuses roles with lived wisdom.

In an industry obsessed with reinvention and relevance, Roberts stays excited by staying present. Great directors, meaningful scripts, and the irreplaceable thrill of human connection keep calling her back. At this stage, acting isn’t obligation — it’s fulfillment. Her enduring spark proves that when you approach your craft with curiosity and heart, the excitement never fades. It only grows richer with every scene.