Julia Stiles Praises Julia Roberts' 'Maternal Instincts' onMona Lisa SmileSet: 'She Took Care of All the Girls'

Mar. 15, 2025

Julia Roberts and Julia Stiles in New York City at the premiere ofMona Lisa Smilein 2003.Photo:Sylvain Gaboury/FilmMagic

Sylvain Gaboury/FilmMagic

Julia Stileshad an incredible role model inJulia Robertson the set ofMona Lisa Smile.

TheWish You Were Herewriter and director opened up about working with some of her past costars onWatch What Happens Live with Andy CohenMonday, Jan. 13. When asked what she loved most about collaborating with Roberts on the 2003Mike Newell-directed drama, Stiles, 43, said, “Her maternal instincts.”

“She took care of all the girls on that set, in a way she didn’t really [have to],” added Stiles of Roberts, 57, whom she starred with alongsideKirsten Dunst,Maggie Gyllenhaaland more.

“The movie hinged on [Roberts] — she’s a huge star; everything was riding on her performance in this movie,” she continued of theOscarwinner. “And yet she took the time to be really kind and generous to all the young women that were in it.”

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Mona Lisa Smile(2003).

Stiles also reflected on working with other women she admires during herWWHLinterview, includingAngela Bassetton the 2008 movieGospel Hill.

“Oh my God, [she’s] so regal and dignified and just strong,” she said of Bassett, 66.

Of herHustlers(2019) costarJennifer Lopez, Stiles toldAndy Cohenthat she was “incredibly hardworking” and “focused: on the movie: “She came on set and had transformed into a completely different person.”

“I didn’t recognize her as Jennifer Lopez the pop star and major actress — I recognized her as the character she was playing,” she added.

Stiles makes her feature directorial debut with the upcoming movieWish You Were Here, based onRenée Carlino’s 2017 bestsellingnovel of the same name. It starsIsabelle Fuhrman,Mena Massoud,Jennifer GreyandKelsey Grammer, “in a fascinating movie about leaving the everyday world behind to take a chance on true romance,” per a synopsis.

“When the perfect night with a perfect stranger ends suddenly the next morning, Charlotte searches for answers and meaning in her disappointing life until she uncovers a secret that changes everything,” the synopsis adds.

Last month, Stiles told PEOPLE that she was inspired to make the film afterthe bookaffected her in a deeply emotional way.

“When I readWish You Were Here, it broke my heart — but that good cry where you are laughing through tears, and you’re reminded how amazing life can be,” she explains.

Wish You Were Hereis in theaters Friday, Jan. 17.Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohenairs Sunday-Thursday evenings on Bravo.

source: people.com