Eric Roberts Can’t Discuss His Oscar-Winning Sister

Eric Roberts has revealed that he’s been instructed not to discuss his well-known, Oscar-winning sister.

The actor, who boasts over 700 credits spanning a career of five decades, is the elder sibling of Hollywood’s Julia Roberts, 56. Their relationship has been turbulent over time, largely due to Eric’s past addiction struggles. These issues led to his separation from actor Kelly Cunningham. Julia, initially close to her brother, funded Cunningham’s legal fees in a custody battle over their daughter, Emma Roberts, a successful American Horror Story actor. Emma has recently refuted claims of being a “nepo baby”.

Eric, an Oscar nominee for the 1985 action film Runaway Train, with appearances in films like The Dark Knight and The Expendables, was estranged from Julia until 2004. In a 2018 interview with Vanity Fair, Eric mentioned he wouldn’t describe their split as a falling-out, attributing the strained relationship to himself. He admitted to being exhausting to be around, stating, “I was complainy, blamey, unable to enjoy enjoyment. Everyone in my world needed a break sometimes, and that must have included Julia.”

Recently, Eric disclosed that Julia has asked him to refrain from discussing their private life. During a conversation on the Still Here Hollywood podcast, he told host Steve Kmetko, “I love my sister, but I can’t talk about her. She doesn’t want to talk about it.” He further added that his daughter, Emma, had also urged him to remain silent about their family matters, saying, “I’m not supposed to talk about either of them, but I do.”

Despite this, Eric expressed his admiration for Emma’s acting career. “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,” he said. He continued to lavish praise on her, noting, “Since her performance in Maybe I Do until right now, she overwhelms me with pride. And I’m just so happy to be her dad because she’s kicking ass. And I’m so proud.”

Eric also acknowledged that he hasn’t contributed “absolutely nothing” to Emma’s success except for giving her their renowned surname. Nonetheless, Emma, 33, has recently shared that being part of a famous family has sometimes come with drawbacks in her career. In an interview with Flaunt magazine, she said, “I’ve lost more jobs than I’ve gained from being in the business. 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.”

Source: Vanity Fair, Still Here Hollywood Podcast, Flaunt Magazine