Roberts opened up about the high-profile college admissions drama and what it implies about the parents' lack of faith in their kids.
Julia Roberts is sharing her thoughts about the high-profile college admissions scandal that's been rocking the country over the past week.
The 51-year-old Oscar winner was recently in the U.K. promoting her latest family drama, Ben Is Back, and she opened up to ITV about the scandal, which has resulted in 50 people being charged, including Hollywood stars Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin.
"That to me is so sad, because I feel, [as] an outsider, that it says a little bit, 'I don’t have enough faith in you,'" said Roberts, who is the mother of 14-year-old twins Hazel and Phinnaeus and 11-year-old Henry with her husband, Danny Moder.
"My husband and I are very aligned on that front, I think that we live a very normal experience with our children," Roberts said, regarding her and Moder's efforts to make sure their children stay grounded, despite the spotlight of their parents' fame. "Obviously we have advantages that we didn’t have as children. But I think that’s the unique part of it, coming from the childhood that I have. You do need to know how to make your bed and do your laundry and make one meal. These are important life skills."
"They have to run their own race," she added. "They have to have their own experience."
In Ben Is Back, which hit theaters in the U.S. last December and is currently available on DVD and streaming On Demand, Roberts stars as Holly, the mother of troubled, drug-addicted 19-year-old Ben (Lucas Hedges). Holly is surprised and overjoyed when Ben, who has been in rehab for months, returns home unexpectedly on Christmas Eve. However, his presence makes the family feel wary and secrets in Ben's life test the bonds of love and loyalty, and Holly struggles to keep her son safe and healthy in the face of addiction and its consequences.
For Roberts, the story of the college admissions scandal seems like the antithesis of her role in the emotional drama.
"I feel that in [Ben Is Back], this mother is trying to say, 'I have so much faith in you, I have both our faiths until you can find the faith in yourself again.'"
In the high-profile admissions scandal, Huffman and Loughlin were among 48 other individuals who allegedly paid money to fraudulently secure their children's admissions into elite universities across the country.
The fallout from the scandal continues to unfold and has gravely impacted both stars' lives personally, professionally and legally. For more on the ongoing legal drama, check out the video below.
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