Eric Roberts says sister Julia Roberts' 'Steel Magnolias' got Oscar nod as 'crying gets a lot of credit'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Eric Roberts may have made a public apology to his younger sister Julia Roberts, but he still has a few unfavorable opinions about one of his Oscar winner sister’s acting roles. 

In his memoir ‘Runaway Train: Or the Story of My Life So Far’, the 68-year-old actor shared his views on the ‘Notting Hill’ actress' 1989 acting credit in ‘Steel Magnolias’. 

Although ‘Steel Magnolias’ brought Julia’s first Oscar nod, her elder brother does not think “her performance held up in that movie.”

Eric Roberts gets candid about Julia Roberts’ ‘Steel Magnolias’

In his memoir, the ‘Dancing With The Stars’ contestant wrote, “​​Julia was good in ‘Mystic Pizza’, great in ‘Pretty Woman’, but not so much in ‘Steel Magnolias’ in my opinion, even though it brought Julia her first Academy Award nomination," the New York Post reported.

Referring to his tumultuous relationship with his Oscar-winning actress sister, Eric said, “I don’t want to sound like an actor talking, or a jealous sibling, but I don’t think her performance held up in that movie.”

“When I saw her in ‘Steel Magnolias’, I thought, ‘Okay. Good. She’s almost a good actor, and one day she’s gonna be one,'” wrote the actor who has over 700 acting credits. 

However, ‘The Dark Knight’ alum did not stop at criticizing his sister’s acting chops, as he dissected the performances of the film’s rest of the cast members as well. 

He wrote, “In fact, I think all those brilliant women — Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Olympia Dukakis, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah — overacted their asses off in ‘Steel Magnolias.’” 

“Nobody’s great in that movie. They all chewed a lot of scenery, and we know that if an actor cries on film, they go to the top of the class,” wrote the ‘King of the Gypsies’ star. 

Eric, an Oscar-nominated actor himself, said, “They get the Oscar nod because crying gets a lot of credit. It’s the big joke in all acting classes, even in the great Lee Strasberg’s Actors Studio. Crying and dying bring home the bacon!”

The ‘Best of the Best’ actor further explained the reason why Julia received praise for her portrayal of a Louisianan character in the film. 

He wrote, “I also think another reason she got an Oscar nod for ‘Steel Magnolias’ was her authenticity as a sweet, small-town Southern girl.”

“That’s what she was, after all, or at least that’s how she started off. I don’t know if she had a dialect coach try to eradicate her Southern accent, but if so, luckily for her it didn’t take,” noted Eric. 

The actor also credited their family’s Southern roots as part of the ‘Ticket to Paradise’ actress’ appeal. 

The actor noted, “I think that’s a big part of her appeal — along with her boffo good looks and killer smile — her Southern accent and mannerisms.”

“Beauty like that can be off-putting, especially for other women, but Julia’s down-home manner made her seem like your best friend. There’s a certain colorful and enchanting quality to Southern speech,” said the actor.

Eric Roberts spoke about Julia Roberts’ fame

While the ‘Runaway Train’ actor has been critical of sister Julia’s acting chops in ‘Steel Magnolias’, he claimed that he was sure of her stardom from ‘Pretty Woman’. 

He wrote, “Everyone loved that movie and Julia’s role in it,” before adding, “I was working with George C Scott (who’d won an Oscar for ‘Patton’ in 1971) at the time, and he told me in his gruff voice that he thought her movie was going to go through the roof. It did. I watched it happen: Oh my god, Julia’s becoming a superstar!”

However, he admitted that he was “not really” jealous of his sister’s success, as he wrote, “For one thing, we were never going to be up for the same parts.”

While Eric has been candid about Julia’s acting career, he has also issued a public apology for previously claiming he made Julia Roberts’ career. 

On more than one occasion, he famously claimed of his superstar sister, “If it wasn’t for me, there would be no Julia Roberts.” 

Nevertheless, he backtracked on his controversial claim as he wrote in his memoir, “I hope Julia will accept this public apology,” before adding, “It was an asinine thing to have said.”