Wonder Woman! Julia Battles The Bullies

Her new project is personal

- Megan McChesney

With her megawatt smile, three gorgeous kids and a stellar career as one of the most recognisable movie stars of her generation, there is no denying that Julia Roberts leads an enviable life. But having it all never protected anyone from the ugly truths in the world.

And for her latest role as the mother of a boy bullied because of his severe facial disfigurement, the Pretty Woman star had to look no further than her own childhood to find the inspiration and compassion she needed for the part.

Was she bullied at school? “Yes, I was,” Julia tells Woman’s Day. “But I remember more the times when I saw bullying or was present for it, standing by, watching and not intervening. That inaction is damaging. I think all of us at one point or another thought, ‘I’m happy that isn’t me.’ As a child, it’s hard to step forward and say, ‘That’s not OK.’”

As protective mum Isabel Pullman in Wonder, which hit New Zealand screens last week, Julia – herself mum to 13-year-old twins Hazel and Finn, and Henry, 10 – felt an immediate bond with her young co-star Jacob Tremblay, 11, who plays her son Auggie in the movie.