Julia Roberts was once best known as a rom-com actress. She is known for her roles in romantic films and has made a career off of them. It seems that the industry particularly likes seeing her in films like those, as her films outside of this genre haven’t gotten her the same amount of attention.
With this in mind, many of her fans would be surprised to know that the actress played a very crucial role in a film that gained great controversy. In 1996, Roberts starred in Neil Jordan’s biopic on Michael Collins, starring Liam Neeson and Alan Rickman. The film did make many historians critical because of its inaccuracies but stands tall as one of her most acclaimed works to date.
The director once revealed that despite the excellent cast that he had in the film, he would not have made the film if she hadn’t been a part of it. It is safe to say that Roberts had a very emotional reaction to this.
Neil Jordan would not have made Michael Collins without Julia Roberts
When it was announced that Julia Roberts would be playing the role of Kitty Kiernan in Michael Collins, there were more than a few skeptics. She had just starred in some of the biggest films of her career and was certainly one of the biggest names in the industry at the time. However, she was best known for being in rom-coms, not historical drama films that reached the Oscars.
With this, many were wondering why she was cast in the role of Kitty, and director Neil Jordan had the perfect answer during his interview with the Irish Sun. The director put it outright, stating that Kitty’s character was very important to Collins’ story and it was imperative that the casting was done right.
The truth is Michael Collins wouldn’t have been made without Julia. She was really important, and had been very interested in the script… She did it for the best reasons. She looked like Kitty Kiernan… The only problem is when you are casting the biggest star in the world in a rather nondescript role, everybody went ‘it’s Julia Roberts, what’s she doing in this?’
He thought that Roberts was the perfect person to play this character, embodying her essence while simultaneously looking surprisingly similar to her. With this, he stated that had he not found Roberts for the role, the film would not have been made.
Julia Roberts could not believe Neil Jordan’s words
One can imagine that a director as respected as Neil Jordan saying that he would not make a film without you would be a compliment of the highest regard. Julia Roberts gave a different interview with the Irish Sun, where she reacted to these words, and she certainly felt a lot.
The actress revealed that when she first heard what Jordan had said, she felt as though she was unable to breathe. Naturally, the moment must have been very surreal for her considering the fact that her character is technically secondary in the film.
Neil is lying and please just don’t tell anyone I said that — he’s a liar but I love him.
Roberts was in so much disbelief that she claimed that the director was lying and that his claim was not true. She even joked to the interviewer that they should not tell Jordan what she said. It is safe to assume that the actress had a very emotional reaction to finding this out.
Hearing Neil said that makes me feel out of breath. There is something that makes me really joyful when I believe in something, and love it so much, and if it’s on a place of not being able to get over the hump.
At a time when the entire world believed that she could not do something, knowing the amount of trust that the director put in her would have certainly helped her confidence.
Michael Collins is available for streaming on Apple TV.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
