In an attempt to make the average moviegoer line up and fork over their hard-earned cash to watch movies, Hollywood tries to convince filmgoers that stars are special people. For example, there is a reason why major movie releases and awards shows are celebrated with star-studded red carpet events. After all, it gives movies stars an excuse to get dressed up in the kind of red carpet outfits that most people could never pull off.
Since movie stars are presented as special, a lot of people are delighted when there is gossip that proves that they can be just as petty as the rest of us. For example, when the word breaks that two celebrities are feuding, there are lots of people who follow those stories closely even if they knew next to nothing about the people involved before that.
Considering how rich and powerful Julia Roberts and Steven Spielberg are, a lot of film fans were amazed to learn that they didn’t get along on the set of the movie Hook. However, since that movie came out decades ago at this point, it begs an obvious question, have Spielberg and Roberts made peace since then, or is there still tension between them.
Megastars
For many, many years, Julia Roberts was considered to be America’s sweetheart for good reason. The star of far too many famous and beloved movies to list here, there is an entire generation of moviegoers who got their perception of love from watching Roberts’ movies. Just as accomplished as Roberts is, it could easily be argued that Steven Spielberg is the most famous and influential movie director of all time. A master filmmaker who has crafted several movies that will go down in history, Spielberg has had a big role in defining what modern films have become.
Given everything that Steven Spielberg and Julia Roberts have accomplished during their careers, it certainly seems like they should have made a great cinematic pairing. Sadly, that didn’t turn out to be the case when they finally worked together.
The Feud
In the years since Hook was released, it has become common knowledge that Julia Roberts and the film’s director Steven Spielberg didn’t get along while they made the film. In fact, it was long been reported that Roberts was so difficult on the set of the film that she was nicknamed 'Tinker Hell'. Of course, since Roberts played Tinker Bell in Hook, the nickname was a play on that.
Given the colorful nickname that Julia Roberts reportedly was given on the set of Hook, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that the media blamed her for the feud with Steven Spielberg. On top of that, just before Hook was filmed Roberts broke off her engagement to Kiefer Sutherland and the media assumed she was upset by that and took it out on Spielberg. However, given the stereotypes of powerful women that the media often encourages, it seems likely that Roberts would get blamed for her feud with Spielberg no matter what.
Shortly after reports of Julia Roberts and Steven Spielberg’s feud hit the media, she pushed back on reports that she behaved poorly on the set of Hook during a Barbara Walters interview. It should also be noted that Spielberg has since admitted that he “felt like a fish out of water making Hook” because he “didn’t have confidence in the script”. Given how insecure Spielberg felt on Hook’s set and everything Roberts was going through at the time, it seems likely that they both were to blame for their problems.
How Things Stand
In the years that followed the release of Hook, Steven Spielberg and Julia Roberts both had some negative things to say about one another. When Spielberg was asked about the reports of on-set tension, he said it was “an unfortunate time for us to work together” before stating that he wouldn’t make a movie with Roberts again. That said, Spielberg went out of his way to say that Roberts is “a really, really good actress” during the same conversation.
After Spielberg’s comments went public, Julia Roberts didn’t mince words in return. After stating that she never heard anyone refer to her as Tinker Hell, Roberts went on to say “if I sit in my trailer for six hours doing nothing, I'm going to say: 'What the f**k is going on?’” Several years later during a Vanity Fair interview, Roberts again responded to Spielberg’s past comments and she made it clear that she felt betrayed. “I saw that and my eyes popped out of my head. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe that this person that I knew and trusted was actually hesitating to come to my defense. It was a hard lesson to learn. It was the first time that I felt I had a turncoat in my midst.”
Given how hurt Julia Roberts was by Steven Spielberg’s past comments, it seems clear the two will never be friends. However, given the fact that it has been years since either of them has spoken about the other in public, it also seems like saying they have an ongoing feud likely would be taking things too far as well.