Julia Roberts Reveals the One Movie She'd Make a Sequel For
The Hollywood star has consistently rejected sequel offers throughout her career, but there's one beloved film that could change her mind about returning to a familiar role.
Hollywood is packed with movies that got ruined by awful follow-ups, from _Jaws_ to _Mean Girls_. No film seems safe from the sequel machine, not even classics like _2001: A Space Odyssey_, which got an unwanted continuation with _2010: The Year We Make Contact_. Of course, we can't dismiss all sequels completely - without them, we wouldn't have masterpieces like _The Godfather Part II_ or _Aliens_. But many feel unnecessary and come across as nothing more than money grabs, which is exactly what they often are.
Studios understand that audiences will likely return to familiar characters if they enjoyed the original enough, so it makes financial sense to capitalize on that popularity. This mindset keeps the movie business running, even if it's disappointing from an artistic standpoint.
Roberts' Anti-Sequel Philosophy
Some actors strongly oppose making sequels just for the sake of it, and Julia Roberts is one of them. She's declined opportunities to appear in various follow-ups to her films, with just one notable exception to her personal rule.
The most obvious example of Roberts rejecting a sequel opportunity came with a proposed _Notting Hill_ follow-up, which she immediately turned down. She recognized it would be a disaster because Richard Curtis had depressingly dark ideas for the story. He wanted to create a short film continuation, similar to what he did with _Love Actually_, showing Roberts' Anna and Hugh Grant's William going through an ugly divorce.
"I tried doing one with _Notting Hill_, where they were going to get divorced," Curtis told _The Guardian_, but Roberts apparently "thought that was a very poor idea." She was absolutely right. Roberts simply isn't interested in making a sequel that might ruin the magic of the original film, and that's completely understandable.
The Pretty Woman Exception
However, there's one movie Roberts would consider revisiting: _Pretty Woman_. This film truly launched Roberts into stardom, with her playing an escort who falls for a businessman played by Richard Gere. Their unlikely romance has captured hearts for decades and remains one of Roberts' most popular performances.
The movie not only earned her an Oscar nomination but became the highest-grossing romantic comedy ever made, dominating the box office. Despite facing criticism for reinforcing the 'prostitute with a heart of gold' stereotype that has long existed in cinema, the film has maintained its status as a widely cherished classic.
"I've learned to never say never. I'm not a sequel kind of girl. But if I ever did make a sequel, it would be to _Pretty Woman_, and that's it," Roberts once told _The Oklahoman_. While such a project seems unlikely to happen, that might actually be for the best.