Julia Roberts on Her Golden Globe Nom, Christmas and Her New Movie  12/14/07

JULIA ROBERTS TALKS TO MATT LAUER ABOUT HER GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINATION, CHRISTMAS WITH HER KIDS, AND HER NEW MOVIE, 'CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR'

The Golden Globe Winner Talks To Matt Lauer In Her First Interview Since Her Golden Globe Nomination

Interview to Air Tomorrow, Friday, December 14 on NBC News' "Today"

NEW YORK - In her first interview since her Golden Globe nomination, Julia Roberts tells "Today's" Matt Lauer that her nomination is "exciting" saying: "Usually the triumph of my day is everybody making it to the potty. So, yes I think it's thrilling." The actress, who has previously earned three Golden Globes and one Academy Award, talks to Lauer about Christmas with her family and her new movie, "Charlie Wilson's War."

The interview will air tomorrow, Friday, December 13 on "Today." For photos, please visit www.nbcumv.com or contact Megan Kopf, megan.kopf@nbcuni.com.

Following are excerpts from the interview. If used, please credit NBC News' "Today" show with airdate, Friday, December 13.

ROBERTS ON HER GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINATION:

LAUER: Let's start with the news. Yesterday, you were nominated for a Golden Globe for this role, congratulations.

ROBERTS: Thank you. Thank you,

LAUER: How do you feel about that?

ROBERTS: Excited.

LAUER: Yes.

ROBERTS: Yes.

LAUER: Not ho hum by now, six Golden Globe nominations, three wins, does it ever get a little bit kind of like "oh yes."

ROBERTS: I didn't realize I had done that much. That's great. No, it's exciting. I mean, you know, usually the triumph of my day is everybody making it to the potty. So yes I think it's thrilling.

ROBERTS ON CHRISTMAS WITH HER FAMILY:

LAUER: What else is going on in your life?

ROBERTS: Nothing. Just, you know, getting for Christmas like everybody else.

LAUER: Traditions that you're passing along to the kids. Your kids are now three and six months.

ROBERTS: Yes. Well, they're just starting to figure out Christmas and the specific holiday. It's a good food holiday in our house. So, I think, you know, the baking we do. The cookies with the icing and ...

LAUER: What's the hot gift?

ROBERTS: I don't know, can you tell me. I haven't. Well, I've gotten presents for them. I haven't gotten anything yet, for my husband.

LAUER: Suggestions, do you want some suggestions? You all ready told me what I should get my wife.

ROBERTS: Yes, besides a staff to kiss her feet on an hourly basis.

LAUER: By the way, here's the bracelet (pointing to Robert's bracelet). Tell me about this.

ROBERTS: This is a good Christmas gift.

LAUER: Yes.

ROBERTS: This is the red campaign bracelet that Giorgio Armani has - how can I turn my hand, there we go, produced that my husband and I designed and it's sold at Imperio Armani and it's raise money for AIDS in Africa.

LAUER: It's nice, that really is. It's nicely done.

ROBERTS ON HER NEW MOVIE, 'CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR':

LAUER: Talk to me a little bit about the movie. I mean what was it about this subject matter that attracted you?

ROBERTS: Well, I think, it's amazing that I certainly didn't and the more I talked to people it seems a lot of people didn't know anything about this story or these people and how this really came down, and it's pretty fascinating. I think it's political fascinating. And, I think, that the three characters that are portrayed in the movie, amongst a lot, but the ones that I play and Tom Hanks and Philip Seymour Hoffman, they're not slouches. They're such fully realized characters. And Aaron Sorkin wrote this great dialogue.

LAUER: It's very rapid fire, which is what he's known for.

ROBERTS: And it's witty. And intelligent.

LAUER: Hard to deliver? I mean that type of dialogue, is it harder to learn and deliver that than something that's a little more stayed and slowly paced?

ROBERTS: Well I have a tendency to talk really fast anyway.

LAUER: I know you do.

ROBERTS: And I like that kind of rhythm. And the hard stuff for me was all of the nomenclature of the ammunition and the places and the Mujahideen with a southern accent that was tricky for me every time I said it. So, you know, stuff like that.

LAUER: You do not have the most screen time in this movie. It is a supporting role. And normally when we see you and get to interview you, although you've sticked me for seven years. Normally, when we do this, you are the person who's on screen carrying all of the weight every scene. So do you prepare? Do you enter a project differently knowing you've got to make the most out of less time?

ROBERTS: No. But somebody said it to me before I started, I probably would have tried to do that. She packs a good punch, though. I mean I think, you know, you don't - I think, as you long as you just are really achieving each goal as it comes in each little scene, because all of the scenes serve this great huge purpose, you know, which kind of makes it just more energized for me, because there is less to do. So you do kind of feel like the scenes that you have have a lot in them.

LAUER: You brushed over, and you're - but you weren't slighting them, but let's talk about these guys, again. Tom Hanks who gets a lot of attention for being an extraordinary actor and, I guess, Philip Seymour Hoffman, as well. But he strikes me, after watching this movie, he's just extraordinary.

ROBERTS: Philip Seymour Hoffman?

LAUER: Yes.

ROBERTS: He blows the doors off in this, and let's watch him.

LAUER: No, we're supposed to listen gently while you continue talking. This is what we call sound under.

ROBERTS: Well, in this scene, as Tom pours some scotch...

LAUER: You're doing a play-by-play now.

ROBERTS: Well, you know, both of them are great. Philip is - he just kind of blows my mind a little bit. Tom, I spent more time with so he acted like he's more like my pal and I can talk about him in this great way. And, I do think Tom is probably the most honest person on screen and off screen that I've ever spent time with acting wise, he's just amazing. But Philip Seymour Hoffman in this part, he just amazing.

 

Source: CBS Press Release

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