"Movie stars might have talent and range, but that's not what makes them stars; what makes them stars is, ironically, a limitation: The one (or sometimes two) things everyone knows them for, the qualities that define their presence. And Julia Roberts has ( has - she still does) more presence than most big actors combined. It's a presence that encompasses her smile and her laugh (of course), but also her quick-witted delivery, and her warmth."
"But presence can be a double-edged sword, too. Julia Roberts eventually proved to be one of the finest performers of her generation, but she never could quite escape being Julia Roberts. Hence, the awesome number of films in which she's asked to riff on variations of her own persona - a subgenre (or is it a sub-subgenre?) we could call Julia Roberts Plays Herself."
Julia Roberts rose to iconic status after Pretty Woman (1990) and remained a dominant cultural force through the early 2000s, briefly stepping back to start a family. Her screen presence—marked by a distinctive smile, laugh, quick-witted delivery, and warmth—became her defining asset and limitation. Attempts at more serious mid-1990s fare produced mixed results, and many later roles asked her to riff on variations of her own persona. She ultimately proved to be one of her generation's finest performers. The filmography catalogs and ranks her performances up through After the Hunt, noting both triumphs and missteps.
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