The Parenting Choice Julia Roberts Made To Hide Her Children From Fame

Feb 03, 2021 by apost team

Three decades into her career, Julia Roberts remains one of the most billable Hollywood actresses. Such an accomplishment should throw her kids into the limelight, considering that celebrity children are often out in the open and well known. However, unlike the glamorous lives of other celebrity kids, such as the Kardashian children, Julia has managed to shield her family from the spotlight.

Despite being one of Hollywood's most sought-after actresses, Julia has shied away from her public profile for quite a while. The conscious choice of masking her kids puts them into the category of celebrity kids you know nothing about.

With her film director husband, Daniel Moder, the "Pretty Woman" actress has made it her goal to keep the family away from the lights of Tinseltown. "I think Julia is a genius at how to be with people," mused "Closer" director, Mike Nichols, to W Magazine. He also adds that Roberts exclusively separates the nature of her work from her life, with the actress rarely giving insight into the intimate aspects of her personal life. "That's another part of her genius," he told W Magazine. "She gives you a great time, but she gives up nothing."

By being one of the best actresses of her time, Julia is often pressured to reveal more about her life and family. But on the contrary, the Hollywood starlet seems to love privacy. Still, Julia has managed to raise her twins and their little brother without the fame and cameras that followed her for decades. Here's why the actress rarely lets Hollywood into the lives of her kids, Hazel, Phinnaeus and Henry.

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While the Oscar-winning superstar was America's sweetheart on television, she was a regular mom to her kids. That's right. Julia did not let her three children know her career or claim to fame until late. In her Express interview in 2014, the Hollywood A-lister explained, "They don’t know what I do for a living. That hasn’t really entered their life yet. They are just little kids and I'm just their mom, so there's no coping with anything."

The actress reckoned that her kids would realize her career as a Hollywood actor with age, although they would have little interest by then. Sure enough, her kids have grown and are now aware of their mom's A-list status in Hollywood. During her 2018 Harper's Bazaar interview, she revealed how her children would compare her celeb status by asking questions like, "Are you more famous than Taylor Swift?”

Despite claims of hiding her real personality from her kids, it's evident that her kids did figure out she's someone important. With the internet, widespread media and enthusiastic fans, it's inevitable. True to this, Julia shared in her 2021 Vanity Fair interview an anecdote that made her kids realize her celebrity status in reality. "It was on a crowded street, and somebody noticed me, and then another person noticed. Somebody said as we were walking past, 'Oh, that's Julia Roberts.' We all just kind of kept going, and then Finn said, 'Yeah, my mom's Julia Robinson.' That's what gives you perspective. It could be Robinson, it could be Johnson, because it has nothing to do with me as a person."

"Strict" is the term Julia would best describe how she raises her three children under Hollywood's limelight. When interviewed by The Sun, the Hollywood star said she ensures her kids stay in line even though she does not lose her temper often. “I’m a strict mum, I don’t really lose my temper, but I think it’s important that children know their boundaries," she told the publication. In case they are out of line, she added, "I don’t really punish them, I prefer to have conversations with them. I think my serious face is punishment enough."

Indeed, Julia and Moder seem to agree on not letting their kids grow up becoming entitled brats. She insists, "You do need to know how to make your bed, do your laundry, and how to make a meal. These are important life skills. They have to run their own race."

While other celebrities raise their children through social media accounts, Julia has taken a different approach of avoiding such platforms. This means that she rarely gets scrutiny from the public — who seem to be on the constant lookout for cringe-worthy fails — on platforms such as Instagram and Twitter.

According to Julia's interview with InStyle in 2016, the actress confesses she blocks out what happens online, though she still knows what's going on. "Listen, I don't have my head in the sand. I'm aware of the different outlets, however you label them. It's like people talking about a TV show: I can be perfectly aware of the TV show and the story, but it doesn't mean I watch it. I have other friends who watch it, and they tell me about it."

Julia's strict parenting often sees her keeping her children away from social media sites. Sure enough, the "Eat Pray Love" actress explains her conscious decision as necessary since she doesn't see any use with such platforms. She elaborates on her choice in an interview for Harper's Bazaar, recounting an incident with her niece, Emma Roberts, on social media account. Emma posted a photo on Instagram of the pair together after enjoying a morning. In her words, "The number of people who felt required to talk about how terrible I looked in the picture … my feelings got hurt. I thought, 'What if I was 15?'"

Although they are still young, Julia's kids have shied away from showbiz with the trio yet to have an interest in movies. Indeed, by some standards, they are still young, with Hazel and Finn born in November 2004 while Henry came later in June 2007. However, given that this is Hollywood we're talking about, it's not uncommon for celebrity kids to get into the business while young. If anything, Julia identifies her kids' love for a completely different line of art while in their household. She revealed her kids' interest in music in a 2015 E! News interview. "I have a violinist, a cellist and a trumpeter," she explained.

That said, you should not expect any recording or singing contract yet as Julia wants the school to remain a top priority for them. "They just want to get through fifth-grade math. That's all that's on their minds." Still, the "Notting Hill" lead feels an acting role often comes out in her home, where she feels like she's on-set "directing." Julia even goes ahead to portray her house vibe to E! News, "'Hey, brush your teeth! Get your uniform, basketball is tomorrow! Get your violin! I'm like an air traffic controller.'"

However, Julia admits her children are also into a completely different genre, with the trio’s interest in cartoons. In her words to NewsLetter in 2017, she said, "I think one finds that one's children aren’t necessarily interested in one's filmography because perhaps one's children want to go see 'Cars 3.'"

While she's a recognizable face in Hollywood and public, spectators rarely get a glimpse of Julia with her family in public. When fans do, often it's together with her children at sporting events where she suits up in incognito mode with sunglasses, basketball hats and other concealing clothing to help blend in the crowd.

In any case, the "Pretty Woman" actress carves out a necessity for privacy to the extent of sticking exclusively to her Pacific Palisades community. As Los Angeles Times recalls, the small town niche in the community works best for her lifestyle, particularly "the tony enclave full of Pilates studios and juice bars." She also adds that her incognito approach with her family is possible, thanks to her chill neighbors. "The kind of energy I attract is very calm," she told Los Angeles Times. She "(hides) her makeup-less face behind Ray Bans while running errands ... (and wears) a neon-colored rubber band bracelet because her daughter made it for her."

Of course, it's not always seclusive in the Pacific Palisades community, especially with Los Angeles being a popular destination for most. The Moder-Roberts have, however, come up with a favorite destination where the bunch can unwind. It so happens that the "place" is the same place Julia and her husband Moder exchanged vows back in 2002. "When Daniel and I first started dating, we went there a lot," explains Julia of her Desert Ranch near Taos, New Mexico. In the interview with the Daily Mail, she also added, "He feels the same way about New Mexico as I do: we love the quietude and enchantment, [and] now it’s a great place for the five of us to run around and be together."

Aside from the exclusive Southwest hideaway, the family has also been seen in Mexico back in 2020, enjoying the sunshine. The isolation abode is beneficial, with Julia seemingly protecting her family from Hollywood and its prying eyes. In the end, her kids get to be normal.

Julia's fear for her kids changing with fame is not explicitly in the open, but you can assume she feels that the acting bug might get to their heads. Of course, it's not easy to tell. However, her interaction with her niece-actor, Emma, portrays her fears of how fame affects young people. According to Emma herself, her aunt remains cagey when it comes to acting fame. In her appearance on "Watch What Happens Live," Emma said, "We don't really talk so much about acting when we're together. We mostly just like spending time with her kids and stuff like that."

Julia echoes the same sentiments, with the actress siding with her niece in a 2013 Los Angeles Times interview. "When (Emma) comes to stay with us, I always think, 'Please let her be the same' – and she is still the same magical girl she used to be. I think so much of it has to do with your intentions in taking on a business like this." She also adds, "If you have a pure view of what you want to accomplish, I think you can maintain your sense of self."

Despite her desire to shy away from the public, even on social media, the Moder-Roberts clan seems to have shifted from their principle. On 2019's Mother's Day, Moder took to Instagram, posting a picture of his wife and kids in a tribute to his wife, Julia. "That pretty mama in the middle," reads the caption of the Instagram snap he shared to his account. "We love you so much," he added, gushing over the "Pretty Woman" starlet together with their three children.

The family pic may not be a big deal, but a notable shift in how the Hollywood couple goes to great lengths to avoid the limelight for themselves and their children. Indeed, Julia admits the couple's style of raising the children had them lacking a "true sense" of how much of a celebrity their mom is during her Harper's Bazaar interview with Oprah Winfrey. "I think I told you once when they were starting to figure it out, it was like, 'You're famous?' And I said, 'I think a lot of people might have seen the movie that I'm in or might know who I am.'"

Despite the misconception that family privacy is rare in Hollywood, Julia has a balanced career and life. It's likely that the actress finds herself struggling to get a grip on the fame that can take hold of their social life. The reality is that the "Runaway Bride" star's elusive public life allows her and her kids to lead a fairly normal existence compared to other families in the spotlight. 

So, what's your opinion on why you rarely hear about Julia's kids? Do you know something more about them, or would you like to add a reason why they may shy away from public? Feel free to comment and spread the word to other Julia Roberts fans!