‘IT’S NOT SO PRETTY’

ONE of the darlings of Hollywood, Julia Roberts, says daai plek is nie vir speletjies nie. 

The 57-year-old veteran actress, who made her big breakthrough in the 1990s romcom Pretty Woman - starring opposite Richard Gere - says the mense in Tinseltown can be cruel if you’re starting out in the industry. 

Roberts was interviewed by People magazine in the buildup to the premiere of her new film After the Hunt, where she plays a college professor who finds herself at a personal and professional crossroads when a star pupil levels an accusation against one of her colleagues and a dark secret from her own past threatens to come to light.

The movie is the latest of a vrag movies made by the experienced actress, who is credited in over 70 movies. 

Getting there, though, wasn’t always easy. 

She shared with People: “I encountered early on, not a lot but a few critical people who were really cruel, and it was a really interesting challenge for me to decide the kind of person I wanted to strive to be. 

“I don't think I entered into my career with much confidence.” 

She added: “Of course, even then, I would have shreds of gratitude.

“I would think, ‘Okay, there’s a reason why it has to be so hard’. Now I look at it as some of the lessons that I’m the most grateful for because they proved my endurance to myself.

“Being insecure, it can be crippling. So if someone embarrassed me, it stopped me.

“I was apoplectic, so learning to navigate that - because this is not an industry to be in if you can’t take criticism or harshness or being embarrassed.” 

Of the upcoming movie, Roberts told ABCnews: “There’s so many layers of mystery going on. 

“I know there’s sort of the obvious question of an incident and who's telling the truth, but who is ever telling the truth or not and why in this movie is what's so interesting to me.”