It’s no secret that Julia Roberts is one of the most prolific performers of her generation. From her best rom-com titles to her thriller/heist collection, there’s plenty of ground she’s covered. With the vast territory, unfortunately, things like heartbreak and conning have been common themes throughout Roberts’ work by females, but more so by males. Here’s a rundown of some of the biggest betrayals of Julia Roberts’ characters enacted by men.
Linus Caldwell In Ocean’s Twelve (Matt Damon)
Really, this is the whole team's doing per Danny (George Clooney), but Linus (Matt Damon) carries out this plan. This wrongdoing is different and arguably tops this list because it not only relates to Julia Roberts’ character, Tess Ocean, but a fictionalized Julia Roberts. Tess is wrangled to join the heist by Linus, on very vague terms. When she lands in Rome, Linus and Basher (Don Cheadle) let her in on the con that revolves around her impersonating a pregnant Julia Roberts.
Khamel In The Pelican Brief (Stanley Tucci)
After writing The Pelican Brief, Darby (Robert) shares it with her professor-boyfriend Callahan (Sam Shepard) who shares it with a select handful of people who get killed by a rigged car explosion. This sets off a series of events where Darby has to be particularly aware of all involved while avoiding various assassins trying to hurt her, including Khamel (Stanley Tucci), among others. Darby experiences beyond multiple pursuers, being watched, items stolen from her, multiple attempts of murder via rigged car bombs, impersonators, and more, making it one of the more surprisingly successful 90s movies.
Martin Burney In Sleeping With The Enemy (Patrick Bergin)
Laura Williams (aka Sara Waters, played by Roberts) is in an abusive marriage with Martin Burney (Patrick Bergin). As he continues to mistreat her, she plans her escape. After fleeing the marriage, and town, Laura turns into Sara, heads to live near her mother, Chloe, who Laura had previously told Martin had died. Martin realizes that Laura isn’t dead, due to one error on her end, and tracks her down. Fortunately, things ultimately work out in Laura/Sara’s favor and she can rest easy.
Ed Masry In Erin Brockovich (Albert Finney)
When Erin Brockovich (Roberts) initially dives into the PG&E water case, for Ed Masry (Albert Finney), she gets okayed to visit a few locations. Diving in, she works out of the office for a few days but doesn’t share any updates with coworkers. As she gets back to the office, she learns she’s been fired since she didn’t communicate with anyone. Thankfully, it’s a blip between the two and Masry quickly adds her back on after a lead in the case arises.
Edward Lewis In Pretty Woman (Richard Gere)
The Garry Marshall-directed movie is arguably one of the best Julia Roberts films with her portrayal of Vivian Ward. Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) betrays Roberts’ character while at a polo match. Lewis’ business associate, Philip Stuckey (Jason Alexander) suspects Ward to be a corporate spy to destroy the Jim Morse business deal. Edward debunks Philip’s theory and shares how he met Vivian. With the information, Stuckey propositions Vivian, which she declines, and knows that Edward revealed her secret to Philip.
Michael O’Neal In My Best Friend’s Wedding (Dermott Mulroney)
My Best Friend’s Wedding may be trickier for some. Roberts’ character Julianne ‘Jules’ Potter is honestly the more deceitful character in this movie, in my opinion. The whole movie is centered around Jules trying to sabotage her best friend, Michael’s wedding to no avail. In Jules' eyes, she feels betrayed on and off through the whole wedding weekend by Michael, only to eventually accept what’s happened at the reception.
George In Erin Brockovich (Aaron Eckhart)
George (Aaron Eckhart) is Erin Brockovich’s neighbor turned love interest in the movie after he continually shows up for her and her children. And overall, things end well for the couple, but in the middle, and the height of the case, George makes Erin (Roberts) choose between him and her work. He leaves after Erin shares she can’t give up on the people of Hinkley. The two find their way back to one another as the trial nears its end.
Danny Ocean In Ocean’s Eleven (George Clooney)
At the beginning of the film, Danny (George Clooney) starts out as Tess’ (Roberts) ex-husband. Danny tricks Tess’ current partner, Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), into choosing the stolen money over Tess. (He unknowingly chooses this while she watches a live feed of the whole thing.) After successfully destroying a perfectly fine relationship, the once-divorced couple reunites. The whole thing sounds bananas, but remembering the amount of best one-liners from the Ocean's franchise that Danny had, it’s no wonder every scheme of his played out just right.
Charles Gordon In Mystic Pizza (Adam Storke)
Fun-loving Charles Gordon (Adam Storke) meets bold and daring Daisy Araújo (Julia Roberts) and they quickly start dating. The couple runs into trouble while eating dinner with the Gordon family, and when an inappropriate comment is made, that relates to Daisy, Charles goes off on his family. Daisy, afterward, blames him for using that instance to blow out of proportion and rebel against his family. Even though the argument was substantial, the two made up at her sister’s wedding reception.
Bill Fordham In August: Osage County (Ewan McGregor)
At the beginning of this tour-de-force acted film, Bill (Ewan McGregor) and Barbara (Roberts) are quietly separated but both agree to go to Barbara’s Oklahoman home after getting notified of her missing father. They stand united to support their daughter, Jean (Abigail Breslin) during this period. When Barbara and Bill get confronted head-on by her mother Violet (Meryl Streep) about their relationship, Bill confirms that they are separated and there’s a younger woman involved.
Homer Eisenhower “Ike” Graham In Runaway Bride (Richard Gere)
Even though all the wrongdoing done to Maggie (Roberts) eventually works its way into something positive, Ike initially wreaks havoc. Ike (Richard Gere) starts by writing a hurtful, and biased piece on Maggie’s inability to settle down (his source, unknowingly, was an ex). The article leads to Ike coming to town, which makes Maggie face personal issues and rumors while ramping up for her next possible marriage to Bob (Christopher Meloni). Her old life falls apart the night of her rehearsal when she and Ike confess their feelings for one another, leading to a sweet marriage proposal from him.
Terry Benedict In Ocean’s Eleven (Andy García)
Benedict (Andy García) and Tess (Roberts) are dating as Ocean’s Eleven begins, and all is fine within their relationship until her ex-husband Danny Ocean finds out. Honestly, Benedict’s betrayal is more rooted in Danny’s deceit toward Tess–in that, he knew Benedict would admit he would pick money over her. All the same, Tess watched on a live feed, Benedict’s confession, ruining any future of a lasting relationship.
Dan In Closer (Jude Law)
Closer has multiple layers of betrayal, and not just toward Roberts’ character, Anna (We’ll save that for another time though). Anna meets Dan (Jude Law) while photographing him for his coming book. Even though Dan is already dating someone, he makes a move on her, which Anna refuses. The scene jumps to Dan chatting in an adult chatroom with an unknown male, at the time (Larry), as Anna. He leads Larry her and tricks Larry into meeting the real Anna under fake pretenses at an aquarium.
Spike In Notting Hill (Rhys Ifans)
Spike (Rhys Ifans) is William Thacker’s (Hugh Grant) sweet but goofy flatmate. He accidentally tips the paparazzi off that movie star Anna Scott (Roberts) is staying at his home. When the trio realizes that her location has been revealed, she believes that it is Thacker and not Spike who let it slip. With the series of events, she leaves their flat.
Larry in Closer (Clive Owen)
After Larry gets (Clive Owen) tricked by Dan (Jude Law) into meeting the real Anna (Roberts), they actually hit it off. It’s only later, when the couple is getting divorced, that Larry complicates Roberts’ character’s life. Anna left Larry for Dan but Larry chips away at the new couple’s relationship quietly. It comes to the surface when the married couple meets up for him to sign divorce papers and he declares the only way he’ll let her go is if they sleep together. Anna agrees, but it destroys Dan, and their relationship, because she ultimately never turns the divorce paper in.
Peter Banning In Hook (Robin Williams)
From the start, Tinkerbell (Roberts) feels cheated by Peter (Robn Williams) because he gave up Neverland long ago, but puts it aside to help him return. While Peter is remembering everything about Neverland and gearing up to fight Hook, Tinkerbell admits her unrequited love for him. Tink gets denied in the way she wishes he would respond, but ultimately helps Peter and his family fight Hook so they can return home peacefully.
Brighton In Mirror Mirror (Nathan Lane)
Over the decades, there have been plenty of new Disney remakes, but this 2012 iteration of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is structured with a bit more humor and modern tones. After Queen Clementina (Roberts) orders Brighton (Nathan Lane) to deliver a drowsy Snow White to the woods so the Beast can kill her, he does but warns her to run instead. Snow White escapes the Beast’s clutches, but Brighton lies to the Queen, telling her Snow White has died.
Eddie Thomas In America’s Sweethearts (John Cusack)
A-Lister powerhouse couple Eddie (John Cusack) and Gwen (Catherine Zeta-Jones) are done, at least behind closed doors. After Eddie realizes that he’s over her, he falls in love with Kiki (Roberts), Gwen’s assistant and sister. The new couple realizes they have mutual feelings for one another and spend the night together. The following morning, Eddie shares with Gwen he technically isn’t seeing anyone, making Kiki storm out of the room, although they make up later.
Dean Tainot In Larry Crowne (Brian Cranston)
Dean (Brian Cranston) is married to Mercedes (Roberts) and both are in large ruts at the beginning of Larry Crowne. Mercedes is a jaded professor at the community college Crowne, played by Tom Hanks, one of her semi-regular acting partners, ends up attending, Dean used to also teach there before becoming a full-time blogger. The couple has ups and downs, but between Mercedes finding Dean on an adult website while he’s supposed to be working, and a big intoxicated fight, the events lead to the end of their relationship.
Bill Dunbar In Mona Lisa Smile (Dominic West)
After breaking up with her Californian boyfriend, who just proposed, Katherine Ann Watson (Roberts) starts dating fellow Wellesleyan college professor Bill (Dominic West). As the two get to know each other, Bill shares about his time in Italy during the war. Katherine ends up breaking up with Bill after learning he has been lying to her about his time serving, along with discovering he used to date students.
G.H. Scott In Leave the World Behind (Mahershala Ali)
While the Netflix subscription movie ultimately plays out to have much greater dealings that Amanda (Roberts) and her family have to face, G.H. (Mahershala Ali) initially derails their vacation. Not long after the family arrives, G.H. returns to the rented home unexpectedly and makes Amanda uncomfortable. Over the course of the film, they slowly learn to work together to process what’s happening.
Howard Tully In Duplicity (Tom Wilkinson)
While secret agents Claire (Roberts) and Ray (Clive Owen), meet, fall for each other and parlay their way into high-brow spy jobs, deceiving each other along the way, it’s Claire’s boss who pulls the biggest trick. Ray and Claire both play a game of cat and mouse with each other and their respective employers–as they planned. When they think they’ve succeeded and headed out of the country, it is revealed that Tully (Tom Wilkinson) swapped the coveted formula everyone was racing for a bottle of hand lotion.
Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde In Mary Reilly (John Malkovich)
Mary Reilly (Roberts) and Dr. Jekyll (John Malkovich) grow close enough that she shares about her previous traumas and the scars that remain. After Mr. Hyde gets hired, he uses that information to ridicule Mary while trying to proposition her. Throughout the film, both Jekyll and Hyde have moments where they abuse their relationship with her. Mary eventually leaves the grounds of the home after Jekyll and Hyde have passed away.
Collin’s Assassin In Michael Collins (Jonathan Rhys Meyers)
Because of Michael Collins' political standing within the Irish Republican Army, he is a leading figure that England is motivated to take out. While members of the IRA are traveling, they encounter a roadblock, which was intended to trap the conclave of travelers, which succeeds. As the two sides battle it out, the young assassin hits Collins (Liam Neeson) with a bullet, killing him.
Ben Harrison in Stepmom (Liam Aiken)
Even though young, Ben (Liam Aiken), son of Luke (Ed Harris) and Jackie (Susan Sarandon) Harrison, is just a child, he betrays Isabell Kelly’s trust. Kelly (Roberts) has Ben and his sister Anna while she’s working on a photo shoot in Central Park and doesn’t have much for them to occupy themselves. After the gig, Isabell realizes Ben is missing, thankfully, it doesn’t last long, but it creates a bigger wedge between her and Luke’s family.
Nelson Wright In Flatliners (Kiefer Sutherland)
When Rachel (Roberts) realizes that Nelson (Kiefer Sutherland) withheld the supernatural side effects of being flatlined from the rest of them, she confronts him. Before leaving, she yells at how reckless he was for not sharing the essential information, especially since her visions involve her father who committed suicide. By the end of the film, they’ve all had closure with their experiences and bring Nelson back to life.
Eddie Bichon In Something To Talk About (Dennis Quaid)
Right off the bat, Grace (Roberts) discovers that her husband, Eddie (Dennis Quaid), is sleeping with another woman. The trio fights publicly, making Grace return home, pack her belongings and their daughter, and leave for her parents' house. For the rest of the movie, Grace is then repeatedly confronted by various family members about forgiving Eddie’s marital mistake. Eventually, the two make up on Grace’s terms.
Jerry Fletcher In Conspiracy Theory (Mel Gibson)
Taxi driver and conspiracy theorist, Jerry (Mel Gibson), has good intentions, but he keeps Alice (Roberts) in the dark about many layers of their relationship. Between him secretly spying on her while at home, her discovering that Jerry has a notable family item she parted with after her father passed, and Jerry’s eventual faked death (a way to protect Alice) all are significant points within their turbulent relationship.
Another small but mentionable offense Alice faces is after realizing everyone except for Harry Finch is deceased on Jerry’s subscriber list, she visits him. Finch turns out to be the troublesome psychiatrist Dr. Jonas (Patrick Stewart) and claims that Jerry killed her father (which turns out to be a lie).
Victor Geddes In Dying Young (Campbell Scott)
Victor (Campbell Scott) hired Hilary (Roberts) as a live-in nurse to help care for him while going through treatments for leukemia. The pair fall in love, and Victor convinces Hilary that he’s doing better and the two should go on a trip together. While on their coastal vacation, she suspects and then discovers, in the trash, that Victor is still partaking in his chemotherapy. He confirms that he’s been lying to her, and Hilary calls his father to come get him, trust me when I say it’s one of those movies you can’t watch without crying.
Charles In Fireflies In The Garden (Willem Dafoe)
Married couple Lisa (Roberts) and Charles (Willem Dafoe) don’t have a shining relationship, but they started a family together and are doing the best they can. In an unexpected and tragic turn of events, the two get into a car accident and Lisa dies. After her death, the news of Charles having an affair with one of his students while Lisa was pregnant arises.
Joe Berlin in Everyone Says I Love You (Woody Allen)
With the help of D.J.’s (Natasha Lyonne) suggestion, Joe (Woody Allen) tricks Von Sidell (Roberts) into thinking she’s found a man better than her husband. The pair happen to meet during a few chance encounters where he feigns interest in things she loves. Von falls deeply for Joe and ends up leaving her husband for him, but eventually tires of him and returns to her previous relationship.
Anzor Marzin / Clay Beckwith In Secret In Their Eyes (Joe Cole)
Friends Jess (Roberts) and Ray work for various branches of public safety in a not long after post-9/11 world. They receive a call about an unidentified body at a Mosque Ray has been investigating. When the two arrive, they realize it is Jess’ daughter, Carolyn, who’s been killed. After a series of discoveries, they deduce her killer is Anzor Marzin (who later seemingly lives under the alias Clay Beckwith, played by Joe Cole), who is photographed staring at Carolyn at a company event.
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