Lily Jane Collins (born 18 March 1989)^[1] is a British and American actress, model, and television personality.

Early life[link]

Collins was born in Guildford, Surrey, England, and is the daughter of English musician Phil Collins and his second wife Jill Tavelman. Her mother is American, and is the president of the Beverly Hills' Women's Club.^[3] Collins is the half-sister of actress Joely Collins and musician Simon Collins (from her father's first marriage), and also has two half-brothers from her father's third marriage, Nicholas and Matthew Collins. Her maternal grandfather was a Canadian Jewish immigrant who owned a famous clothing store in Los Angeles.^[4][5]

Collins moved from England to Los Angeles when she was five years old, and her parents divorced. She graduated from Harvard-Westlake School and is currently a student at the University of Southern California with a major in broadcast journalism.^[6]

Career[link]

Collins started acting at the age of two in the BBC series Growing Pains.^[7]

As a teenager, Collins wrote a column (titled NY Confidential) for the British magazine Elle Girl.^[8] She has also written for Seventeen,^[9] Teen Vogue,^[10] and the Los Angeles Times magazines.^[11]

She was chosen by Chanel to wear one of its gowns at the 2007 Bal des Débutantes (a charity ball) at the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris, which was featured on season 3 of the reality TV show The Hills.^[8][12] She was picked by Spain's Glamour magazine in 2008 as their "International model of the year"^[13] and appeared on the magazine's cover in August 2009.

Collins covered the 2008 US Presidential campaign as a host on the Nickelodeon show Kids Pick the President.^[11][14] She won a 2008 Young Hollywood Award for "Newest Red Carpet Correspondent".^[15] She has appeared in two episodes of the television show 90210, including the 2008–2009 season finale. Collins was one of twenty women named by Maxim magazine as one of "The Hottest Daughters of Rock Stars" in 2009.^[16]

Collins was in the 2009 film The Blind Side as Collins Tuohy, the daughter of Sandra Bullock's character Leigh Anne Tuohy. She played the warrior priest's daughter Lucy in the thriller Priest, opposite Paul Bettany.^[17][18]

MTV Networks' NextMovie.com named her one of the "Breakout Stars to Watch for in 2011".^[19] She co-starred in the 2011 action film Abduction with Taylor Lautner. Collins played Snow White in Mirror Mirror, an adaptation of the Snow White fairytale, co-starring Julia Roberts.^[20] Robbie Collin from British newspaper The Telegraph wrote, "She has an adorable, sensational, almost perfect face for cinema; think Audrey Hepburn with the eyebrows of Liam Gallagher. Her smile is the Platonic ideal of cheeky."^[21] She made her singing debut in the film, performing an English re-written cover of "I Believe in Love".

Collins was reportedly to be the lead in a remake of The Evil Dead with a release date of April 2013, but dropped out due to a scheduling issue.^[22][23] In March 2012 it was announced that Collins would take the role of Samantha in Writers, starring alongside Jennifer Connelly, Logan Lerman, and Greg Kinnear.^[24] Collins is set to star in the first film adaptation of the New York Times bestselling "The Mortal Instruments" novels by Cassandra Clare, playing Clary Fray.^[25]

Filmography[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Lily Collins at the Internet Movie Database

Taylor Lautner
Lautner at the Abduction premiere in September 2011.
Born	Taylor Daniel Lautner (1992-02-11) February 11, 1992 (age 20) Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, voice actor, model
Years active	2001–present
Signature

Taylor Daniel Lautner (pronounced /ˈlaʊtnər/, LOWT-ner; born February 11, 1992)^[1] is an American actor, voice actor, model, and martial artist. As a child, Lautner took up martial arts at Fabiano's Karate^[2] in Holland, Michigan and was ranked number one in his category by the American Sports Karate Association. Lautner soon thereafter began his acting career, appearing in bit roles in comedy series such as The Bernie Mac Show (2003) and My Wife and Kids (2004), before having voice roles in television series like What's New, Scooby-Doo? (2005) and Danny Phantom (2005). In 2005, he appeared in the film Cheaper by the Dozen 2 and starred in The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D.

Lautner is best known for playing Jacob Black in The Twilight Saga film series based on the novels of the same name by Stephenie Meyer. He also starred in the action film, Abduction, which became a sleeper hit.

The late 2000s saw Lautner become a teen idol and rise as a sex symbol, after extensively changing his physique to keep the role of Jacob Black in further Twilight installments, and thereafter generating media attention for his looks. In 2010, he was ranked second on Glamour's "The 50 Sexiest Men of 2010" list, and fourth on People's "Most Amazing Bodies" list. Also in the same year, Lautner was named the highest-paid teenage actor in Hollywood.

Early life[link]

Lautner was born on February 11, 1992 in Grand Rapids, Michigan to Deborah and Daniel Lautner.^[3] His mother works for a software development company, while his father is a Midwest Airlines pilot.^[3][4] He has one younger sister named Makena.^[3] Raised as a Roman Catholic,^[5][6] Lautner is of mixed German, French, and Dutch heritage, and has "distant" Native American ancestry (specifically Ottawa and Potawatomi) through his mother.^[7][8] Lautner grew up in Hudsonville, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids.^[9] Lautner stated that when he was younger he was bullied in school because he was an actor. He commented, "I just had to tell myself I can't let this get to me. This is what I love to do. And I'm going to continue doing it."^[10]

He took his first karate class at the age of six.^[3] A year later, he attended the national karate tournament in Louisville, Kentucky, where he met Michael Chaturantabut, the founder of Xtreme Martial Arts. Chaturantabut invited Lautner to a camp he held at University of California, Los Angeles.^[3] Lautner trained with Chaturantabut for several years, earning his black belt by the age of eight, and winning several junior world championships.^[9] He appeared in an ISKA karate event televised on ESPN in 2003 that was later lampooned on the sports-comedy show Cheap Seats that first aired in 2006.^[11]

In junior high, Lautner—who was involved in karate, baseball and hip-hop dance—won the award for "Best Smile" and played in the school's Turkey Bowl American Football game.^[12] He went to public school in Valencia until his sophomore year of high school.^[13]

Chaturantabut, who once portrayed the Blue Ranger in Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue, suggested to Lautner that he take up acting.^[3] For a few years, the Lautners flew from Michigan to Los Angeles for auditions when his talent agency called, and returned to Grand Rapids for school sometimes the same day.^[3] Lautner balanced karate and acting with being on the football and baseball teams at his school, and taking up jazz and hip-hop dance.^[14] After that became tiring, Lautner and his family decided to move to California for a month, to try it out, before moving to Santa Clarita, California, permanently in 2002.^[3][14]

Career[link]

2001–07: Early career[link]

In his first months after moving to Los Angeles, Lautner appeared in small television roles, small film roles, and ads and commercials. In 2001, Lautner first appeared in the made-for-television film, Shadow Fury. He then got a voice-over job in a commercial for Rugrats Go Wild.^[9] He then appeared in small television parts on The Bernie Mac Show, My Wife and Kids, and Summerland.^[3] Lautner then earned voice-over roles in animated series such as Danny Phantom, Duck Dodgers, and What's New, Scooby-Doo?. In 2005, he had a role as Elliot Murtaugh in the comedy film Cheaper by the Dozen 2.^[3] The same year, he earned his first breakout role, starring in the film, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D.^[3] Lautner spent three months on location in Austin, Texas, to film the movie,^[3] which was received with negative reviews from critics, and was a minor international success. However, Lautner was nominated at the 2006 Young Artist Awards for Best Performance in a Feature Film by a Leading Actor.^[15] For the film, Lautner choreographed all of his fight scenes after director Robert Rodríguez learned of his extensive martial arts training.^[14] Months later, he was cast as Eliot Murtaugh in Cheaper by the Dozen 2, which was panned by critics, being named one of the "Worst Films of the 2000s" by Rotten Tomatoes.^[16] After returning from Canada filming the latter movie, Lautner said he realized his newfound fame, from Sharkboy and Lavagirl.^[3] In 2008 he appeared in the show Love Inc. and the TV special He's a Bully, Charlie Brown. Two years later, Lautner appeared in a lead role in the short-lived NBC drama, My Own Worst Enemy, portraying Christian Slater's son, Jack Spivey.^[17] Rolling Stone coined his early roles as either "the popular kid, jock, or bully."^[10]

[edit] 2008–09: Breakthrough and The Twilight Series

In 2007, filmmakers began a search for actors to portray Jacob Black, a Native American friend of lead character Bella Swan in Twilight, the first film in the The Twilight Saga film series.^[17] In January 2008, an open casting call was held in Portland, Oregon. Lautner had not heard of the Twilight series before, but was urged by his agent to audition.^[17] At his audition, he read lines with Kristen Stewart, who had already been cast as Bella, and they acted out scenes from The Twilight Saga: New Moon and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.^[17] The film was a commercial success, earning $69 million its opening weekend, and has grossed $392 million worldwide. It received mixed reviews from critics, having a "Rotten" rating with a weighted average of 5.5/10.^[18] In describing the critical consensus, it stated: "Having lost much of its bite transitioning to the big screen, Twilight will please its devoted fans, but do little for the uninitiated."^[18] On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 reviews from film critics, it has an average score of 56 from the 37 reviews.^[19] At the 2009 MTV Movie Awards, Lautner was nominated for Male Breakthrough Performance, which was won by co-star Robert Pattinson.^[20]

Lautner with Twilight costars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards.

Initially, director Chris Weitz wanted to recast the role of Jacob Black for Twilight's sequel, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, due to the major physical changes that occur in Black between the two novels, and have an actor that would accurately portray "the new, larger Jacob Black."^[21] Black's role in the novel also increases significantly, with him falling in love with Bella and becoming a werewolf, putting the actor in a starring role. Representatives for Weitz had stated that they were make a full effort to recast the "high-profile gig," and MTV News confirmed that Weitz was looking at Michael Copon to take on the role; however, Summit Entertainment said a decision had not been made.^[21] In an attempt to keep the role, Lautner weight-trained extensively and gained approximately 30 pounds of muscle.^[22] In January 2009, Weitz and Summit Entertainment announced that Lautner would continue to play the role of Jacob in the sequel.^[22] In an interview, fellow cast member Kristen Stewart talked about Lautner's transformation saying, "He's an entirely different person physically."^[23] Stewart later said, "He gets a lot of attention because he's buff, but I think as soon as the movie comes out, people are going to realize that's not why he got the job."^[10] Co-star Robert Pattinson said after seeing Lautner's body, "I saw him and thought 'Jesus, I'm going to get fired."^[24] In an interview with The Wrap, Weitz said Lautner deserved a lot of credit for the movie's box office, stating, "If you look at the movie, it should have been the weakest in the franchise, because Robert Pattinson doesn't play as big a role."^[25] Weitz said Lautner had to "pick up that slack, and if his character hadn't been emotionally, not just physically, appealing, the movie wouldn't have been as big a hit."^[25] The commercial performance of the film outpaced the first film, setting several box office records including the biggest midnight opening in the United States and Canada and the biggest single-day opening.^[26] The opening weekend of New Moon is the third highest opening weekend in domestic history with $142,839,137.^[27] The Twilight Saga: New Moon also has the sixth highest worldwide opening weekend with $274.9 million total.^[28] Critical reception was less favorable, with the movie getting a 4.6/10 average from Rotten Tomatoes, and a 44 on Metacritic.^[29][30] Lautner won Favorite Breakout Movie Actor at the 35th People's Choice Awards.^[31]

Although it began after the release of the first film, upon release of New Moon, Lautner and his co-stars Stewart and Pattinson transitioned to teen idol status, with Lautner particularly admired by teens for his new physical characteristics, becoming a sex symbol. The trio appeared on many covers and televised appearances together.^[32] In between the second and third films in the Twilight series, Lautner was a part of the ensemble cast in the movie Valentine's Day as Willy Harrington, acting alongside his rumored girlfriend at the time, American country pop singer Taylor Swift. The duo was nominated at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards for Best Kiss. Although it received generally negative reviews,^[33] the film grossed $213 million and had the second biggest opening in the United States for a romantic comedy film.^[34] Lautner presented at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards and the 82nd Academy Awards.^[35][36] Lautner hosted Saturday Night Live on December 12, 2009, making him one of the youngest celebrity hosts in the show's history.^[37]

[edit] 2010 to present: Continuing Twilight and other projects

Lautner returned for the third Twilight film, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, in 2010. Receiving mixed reviews from critics, the film surpassed its predecessor to become the highest-grossing film of the franchise and the highest-grossing romantic fantasy, werewolf and vampire movie of all time at the American and Canadian box office.^[38] It ranks as the 36th highest grossing film of all-time in the U.S. and Canada. The popularity of Lautner and his cast members continued to summit, especially via the "Team Edward vs. Team Jacob" campaign that promoted the film.^[39] Lautner's fanbase also began to expand to older audiences.^[39] Lautner won "Best Fantasy Actor" at the 2010 Scream Awards, and he is nominated for "Favorite Movie Actor" for his role in Eclipse at the 37th People's Choice Awards.^[40] On November 2010 The Hollywood Reporter named Lautner as one of the young male actors who are “pushing – or being pushed” into taking over Hollywood as the new “A-List”.^[41][42]

Lautner was initially supposed to be in two films, Northern Lights and a movie based on Max Steel, but pulled out of both films due to scheduling conflicts and better offers.^[25] Other planned projects were the lead in a movie about Stretch Armstrong and a hostage thriller, Cancun.^[25] Lautner filmed a Bourne Identity-esque spy film with Lily Collins, entitled Abduction, which was released in September 2011. He will appear in the remaining parts of the Twilight series, the The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn films, which are anticipated to be released over a two-year period from 2011–2012.^[25]

As of 2010, Lautner was considered to be the highest-paid teen actor in Hollywood.^[43]

Image[link]

Publications such as GQ, Rolling Stone, and People have referred to Lautner as a sex symbol, with the latter publication calling the actor a future epitome of pop culture.^[4][10][44] He has been called the new young adult star that can "both woo the girls with his intensity and impress the boys with his rugged agility."^[14] According to Mickey Rapkin of GQ, the use of Lautner's physique in films has been compared to Megan Fox in her work.^[4] After his massive physical change following Twilight, Lautner became a tabloid teen idol with his co-stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. Lautner, determined to stay in the series, worked out every day and gained over 30 pounds of muscle in order to bulk up for the role of Jacob Black in the remaining films in the The Twilight Saga. Michelle Lanz of MSN Wonderwall said that Lautner's change may have saved his career.^[45] Several critics credit Lautner's physical characteristics for much of the success of the Twilight series, with critic Sharon Waxman stating, "as a tabloid teen idol, he certainly deserves some credit for New Moon's $700 million worldwide gross."^[25] Lautner's abs in particular have been subject to media attention, with The Wrap stating that companies bidding for the actor in movies in 2011 would "shell out for the young actor's much-on-display though mostly untried abs."^[25] Mickey Rapkin of GQ said, "the film's marketing issues were solved when Lautner's "abdominal muscles became New Moon's main talking point, not to mention his calling card."^[4] He was named number one on Access Hollywood's "Top 5 Hollywood Abs" list.^[46]

Before the actor turned 18, his sexualized image was often critiqued, and subject to controversy. In December 2009, Lautner appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone in a wet t-shirt. Jennifer Cady of E! Online said to wait a few months when Lautner would "be of age, which will make this whole operation you got going on completely legal."^[47] In his interview with the magazine, after declining to talk about whether he was dating Taylor Swift, the magazine pressed Lautner on rumors of him being homosexual, which he brushed off.^[48] Brent Hartinger, a columnist for AfterElton, blasted the magazine, calling the questioning "unimaginably irresponsible," commenting that Lautner was just "a 17-year old kid" and that while the rumors were baseless and speculation from certain blogs and fans, it was disappointing that a "legitimate media outlet" would print gossip.^[48] Hartinger said the magazine reached a "new low" and did not have common decency, noting that there was not a line between "child and adult" although Lautner was in adult-like roles.^[48]

Lautner has stated that he doesn't want to be just known for his looks, as some have attributed his popularity to that and not his actual acting skill. In an interview, the actor revealed that he was originally supposed to have a baring scene in the movie Valentine's Day.^[4] He stated, "The script said we were walking into school and Willy takes off his shirt. I said, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa. Time out. He's gonna take off his shirt in the middle of school? No, no, no. The reason I took off my shirt for New Moon is because it's written in the book that way. And there's reasons behind it."^[4] Lautner later said he would not bare his chest for any role that did not call for it.^[4] In June 2010, Lautner covered GQ magazine.^[4] The actor was lampooned in conservative writer Laura Ingraham's satirical The Obama Diaries, commenting to have Lautner as a mascot for the White House Easter Egg Roll, to fit their health-conscious theme, and have Lautner don a furry bunny head and appear shirtless.^[49] In 2010, Lautner was ranked number two on Glamour's "50 Sexiest Men of 2010 " list.^[50] Men's Health ranked him at third on their list of "Top 10 Summer Bodies."^[51] Additionally in 2010, he was ranked fourth on People's "Most Amazing Bodies" list.^[52]

Personal life[link]

Lautner has an intricate workout plan, which was covered by Men's Health, and has a specific diet after developing his body for The Twilight Saga: New Moon.^[4] In addition, he still practices and trains in martial arts regularly.^[4][10] He has stated that he is drug and alcohol free.^[10]

Lautner resides with his parents and younger sister in Valencia, California, which he says he prefers due to the dearth of paparazzi. Lautner has said that he has never thought of moving out on his own, stating, "The thing I love is that my home life hasn't changed. I still help out with the garbage. I still help out with the lawn." He owns a BMW 5 series, which have tinted windows for obscurity.^[4]

The boost given to his career by the success of the Twilight films made him too busy to attend school, so he took the California High School Proficiency Exam to graduate from high school in 2008. He has stated on the David Letterman show that if he does not have work, he would like to go back to school. He now takes online classes at his local community college.^[13]

In 2009, Lautner was linked romantically to American country pop singer Taylor Swift and American actress and pop singer Selena Gomez.^[53][54]

Filmography[link]

Films[link]

Television[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Taylor Lautner

• Taylor Lautner at the Internet Movie Database

Not to be confused with Julie Roberts or Juliet Roberts. For the British Home Shopping host, see Julia Roberts (QVC presenter).

Julia Roberts
Roberts at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival premiere of Jesus Henry Christ
Born	Julia Fiona Roberts (1967-10-28) October 28, 1967 (age 44) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1987–present
Religion	Hindu
Spouse	Lyle Lovett (m. 1993–1995; divorced) Daniel Moder (m. 2002–present; 3 children)
Family	Eric Roberts (brother) Lisa Roberts Gillan (sister) Emma Roberts (niece)

Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman (1990), which grossed $464 million worldwide. After receiving Golden Globe Awards and Academy Award nominations for Steel Magnolias (1989) and Pretty Woman, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Erin Brockovich (2000). Her films My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), Mystic Pizza (1988), Notting Hill (1999), Runaway Bride (1999), Valentine's Day (2010), The Pelican Brief (1993), Ocean's Eleven (2001), and Ocean's Twelve (2004) have collectively brought box office receipts of over $2.4 billion, making her one of the most successful actresses in terms of box office receipts.^[1]

Roberts had become one of the highest-paid actresses in the world, topping the Hollywood Reporter's annual "power list" of top-earning female stars from 2005 to 2006. Her fee for 1990's Pretty Woman was $300,000;^[2] in 2003, she was paid an unprecedented $25 million for her role in Mona Lisa Smile (2003). As of 2010, Roberts's net worth was estimated to be $140 million.^[3]

Roberts has been named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" eleven times, tied with Halle Berry. In 2011, she was named one of the "100 Hottest Women of All-Time" by Men's Health.^[4] In 2001, Ladies Home Journal ranked her as the 11th most powerful woman in the United States, ahead of then national security advisor Condoleezza Rice and former first lady Laura Bush.^{[5][clarification needed][dead link]} Roberts has a production company called Red Om Films.

Early life and family[link]

Roberts was born in Atlanta, Georgia, at Crawford Long Hospital (now Emory University Hospital Midtown), to Betty Lou (née Bredemus) and Walter Grady Roberts.^[6][7] She is of English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, German, and Swedish descent.^[8][9] Her parents were Baptist and Catholic,^[10] and she was raised Catholic.^[11][12] Her older brother, Eric Roberts (from whom she was estranged until 2004), sister, Lisa Roberts Gillan, and niece, Emma Roberts, also are actors. Julia's parents, one-time actors and playwrights, met while performing theatrical productions for the armed forces. They later co-founded the Atlanta Actors and Writers Workshop in Atlanta, Georgia, off Juniper Street in Midtown. While her mother was pregnant with Julia, she and her husband ran an acting school for children in Decatur, Georgia. The children of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King attended the school. As a thank-you for their service, Mrs. King paid the hospital bill when Julia's mother gave birth to Julia.^[13] Julia's mother filed for divorce in 1971 with the divorce being finalized early in 1972.^[14] Roberts lived in Smyrna, in 1972, where she attended Fitzhugh Lee Elementary School, Griffin Middle School, and Campbell High School.^[15] Her mother married Michael Motes and had a daughter, Nancy Motes, in 1976. Julia's father died of cancer when she was ten.^[16]

Roberts wanted to be a veterinarian as a child. She played clarinet in the band in school. After graduating from Smyrna's Campbell High School, she headed to New York to pursue a career in acting. Once there, she signed with the Click Modeling Agency and enrolled in acting classes.

Career[link]

1986–1989[link]

Roberts made her first big screen appearance in the film Satisfaction (1988), released on February 12, 1988, alongside Liam Neeson and Justine Bateman, as a band member looking for a summer gig. She had previously performed a small role opposite her brother, Eric, in Blood Red (1986) (she has two words of dialogue), filmed in 1987 and released in 1989. Her first television appearance was as a juvenile rape victim in the initial season of the series Crime Story with Dennis Farina, in the episode titled "The Survivor", broadcast on February 13, 1987. Her first critical success with moviegoers was her performance in the independent film Mystic Pizza in 1988;^[17] that same year, she had a role in the fourth season finale of Miami Vice. In 1989, she was featured in Steel Magnolias, as a young bride with diabetes, and received both her first Academy Award nomination (as Best Supporting Actress) and first Golden Globe Award win (Motion Picture Best Supporting Actress) for her performance.^[17]

Roberts in 1990

1990–2000[link]

Roberts became known to worldwide audiences when she co-starred with Richard Gere in the Cinderella/Pygmalionesque story, Pretty Woman, in 1990.^[17] Roberts won the role after Michelle Pfeiffer, Molly Ringwald, Meg Ryan, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Karen Allen, and Daryl Hannah (her co-star in Steel Magnolias) all turned it down.^[18] The role also earned her a second Oscar nomination, this time as Best Actress, and second Golden Globe Award win, as Motion Picture Best Actress (Musical or Comedy).^[17] Her next box office success was the thriller Sleeping with the Enemy, playing a battered wife who escapes her abusive husband, played by Patrick Bergin, and begins a new life in Iowa. She played Tinkerbell in Steven Spielberg's Hook in 1991, and also played a nurse in the 1991 film, Dying Young. This work was followed by a two-year hiatus, during which she made no films other than a cameo appearance in Robert Altman's The Player (1992). In early 1993, she was the subject of a People magazine cover story asking, "What Happened to Julia Roberts?"^[19] She was offered the role of Annie Reed in Sleepless in Seattle (1993), but turned it down.^[20]

Roberts co-starred with Denzel Washington in The Pelican Brief (1993), based on John Grisham's 1992 novel of the same name.^[17] In 1996, she appeared in season 2 of Friends (episode 13 "The One After the Superbowl"). Roberts recorded her scenes from January 6–8, 1996.^[21] She had a relationship with cast member Matthew Perry at the time,^{[22][23][24][25]} and an audience member said about their on-screen kiss, "Julia looked at Matt and said 'I'm glad we rehearsed this over the weekend'."^[26] She was offered the role of Lucy Eleanor Moderatz in While You Were Sleeping (1995), but also turned it down.^[20]

Roberts co-starred with Liam Neeson in Michael Collins (1996).^[17] Over the next few years, she starred in Stephen Frears' Mary Reilly (1996), followed by My Best Friend's Wedding in 1997. In 1998, she appeared on Sesame Street opposite the character Elmo, demonstrating her ability to change emotions. She was offered the role of Viola de Lesseps in Shakespeare in Love (1998), but turned it down.^[20] She starred with Hugh Grant in Notting Hill (1999). That same year she also starred in Runaway Bride, her second film with Richard Gere. Roberts was a guest star on the Law & Order television series episode "Empire" with series regular Benjamin Bratt (at that time her boyfriend). She earned an nomination for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.^[27] Also in 1999 she starred in the critically panned film Stepmom (1998) alongside Susan Sarandon.^[28]