Julia Roberts Paid to Deprive Her Brother Custody of His Kid: Their Relationship after Years of Silence

• Eric Roberts was on the way to becoming one of Hollywood's top leading men, but things started spiraling in his life, leading him on a different path.
• He introduced his youngest sister Julia Roberts to the industry, and she continued to become one of the industry's A-list actresses.
• When Eric's life was unstable, his sister Julia supported his ex-girlfriend to receive custody of his daughter.

Eric Roberts worked hard in the 1970s and 1980s, with people almost sure he'd become one of Hollywood's top leading men. He once worked on 74 films in a single year, which spoke a lot about his work ethic.

Eric was a versatile actor who could play both comedic protagonists and antagonists. People have spoken highly of him and how easy it was to work with him.

He was a dedicated actor and one who loved his career. However, unlike other leading men of his generation, his career soon went down the drain.

For years, even while working, he struggled with substance abuse. It was the beginning of his downfall and took a toll on his work and personal life.

In 1981, while under the influence of drugs, Eric got into a car accident, leaving him in a coma. The accident messed up his face, resulting in neurological damage.

His recovery period spanned months. He could not speak and had to learn to walk and talk again. Despite doing the best he could with rehab, he still experienced short-term memory loss. He tried returning to work, reprising his role in "Mass Appeal" on Broadway, directed by Geraldine Fitzgerald.

However, he quit before the play opened because he and Fitzgerald could not agree on how to play the character. The director told everyone he hadn't healed from the accident, and the phone calls stopped.

Eric's younger sister, famous actress Julia Roberts, distanced herself from him through it all. While the actor wouldn't call the distancing a falling-out, he acknowledged that he was at fault. He said:

"I was exhausting to be around. Complain-ey, blame-y, unable to enjoy enjoyment. Everyone in my world needed a break sometimes, and that must have included Julia."

Eric and Julia's Rollercoaster Relationship

In 1991, Eric welcomed daughter Emma Roberts with Kelly Cunningham. Two years later, his sister Julia married Lyle Lovett in a ceremony where he wasn't invited.

"It was my fault," he admitted. "I sacrificed their trust." Eric was in such a bad state that he threatened to expose his mother for things the family would rather not have the public know.

Eric's sisters and his mother alienated him. Upon realizing the severity of his actions, he understood why.

The actor admitted to reaching out to his sisters several times. However, these messages were consistently ignored, so he stopped trying to contact them altogether.

The same year Julia married, Eric and Kelly Cunningham were separated. They underwent a custody battle for Emma, in which Julia sided with Cunningham.

Julia showed how much she cared about her niece, helping fund Cunningham's legal fees during the custody dispute. Eric and Julia took over a decade to reconnect and become civil again.

Eric has gotten so comfortable with his sister that he's spoken openly about being the reason she became famous in the first place.

Julia and Eric's Rekindling in 2004

Eleven years after Julia walked away from Eric for his decisions, Eric reached out to her again when she gave birth to her twins in 2004. The actress became mom to Phinnaeus and Hazel, and the doting brother visited the hospital to wish his sister and her children well.

Since that moment, he and Julia have spent several holidays together with the rest of their family. They also keep in touch with one another by sending e-mails occasionally.

Eric has gotten so comfortable with his sister that he's spoken openly about being the reason she became famous in the first place. He said the same thing about his daughter Emma.

Emma is best known for her work on "Wild Child," "American Horror Story," "We're The Millers," "Abandoned," and a lot more. She's a proud mom to a son named Rhodes Robert Hedlund, whom she shares with Garrett Hedlund.

"If it wasn't for me, there would be no Julia Roberts and no Emma Roberts as celebrities, as actresses, and I'm very proud of that," he said. He's also happy that people know he came first in the industry.

Emma is Eric's only child, and he's glad to see the waves she's made in the industry. He's also pleased with how close she is with her aunt Julia, whom many people say she looks like.

Eric married Eliza Roberts in 1992, a woman who took the responsibility of keeping in touch with Julia in recent years. The actor says he's glad his sister and wife talk every day because it is through their daily conversations that he knows what's happening.

In November 2022, Eric revealed through an interview that he would love to do a father-daughter film with Emma. He would also love Julia to play his sister in the movie.

Eric has kept himself busy in recent years. He's had 17 acting credits in 2023 alone, the most notable being in "Juzni vetar: Na granici," where he appeared in 10 episodes.