Julia Roberts & George Clooney Reveal They Became ‘Fast Friends’ Which Kept Them From Dating Each Other

Oct 18, 2022 by apost team

While both Julia Roberts and George Clooney are Hollywood superstars in their own right, their close-knit friendship has elevated their popularity to stratospheric levels. After appearing in the hit heist film “Ocean’s Eleven,” their camaraderie has never failed to light up any red carpet or event they have graced together.

Both actors began their careers in the 1980s, although Roberts was the first to hit the big time with her iconic roles in classics such as “Mystic Pizza,” “Steel Magnolias” and, particularly, “Pretty Woman.” After shining in her role as a working girl with a heart of gold who falls for Richard Gere’s affluent businessman, Roberts would go on to seal her status as America’s sweetheart in romantic comedies like “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” “Notting Hill” and “Runaway Bride.” She also showed she could play more than just the romantic female lead with her turns in thrillers and dramas such as “Sleeping With The Enemy,” “The Pelican Brief,” “Stepmom,” “Mona Lisa Smile” and “Eat Pray Love.” But it was her role as the sharp, sassy and street-smart legal assistant in “Erin Brockovich” that earned her an Academy Award and guaranteed her legacy would flourish among cinema’s greatest for many years to come.

One of Hollywood's biggest heartthrobs, Clooney gained widespread popularity with his role as Dr. Doug Ross on “ER” from 1994 to 1999, before going on to land several leading roles in films. Some of his most popular works include “From Dusk Till Dawn,” “One Fine Day,” “Batman & Robin,” “The Peacemaker,” “Out Of Sight,” “Three Kings” and “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” He has also received many accolades over the years, including the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.

So why haven’t these two stars with such electric chemistry ever gotten together? Read on to find out.

In 2001, Roberts and Clooney began filming “Ocean’s Eleven,” in which they play former lovers who reunite as Clooney’s character, Danny Ocean, prepares to undertake an elaborate heist at a Las Vegas casino. Since then, Roberts and Clooney have had nothing but the sweetest things to say about their relationship, and their closeness is evident every time they hit the red carpet together.

Back when Roberts became pregnant with her first child with husband Danny Moder, Clooney even opened his house to her.

“She stayed at my house in Italy when she was first pregnant,” Clooney told People in 2016. “She brought all those monsters (her children twins Hazel and Phinnaeus, now 17, and Henry, 15) back to the house when they were actual human beings and we’ve had a blast with them.”

“Danny and I are great friends and love each other. What’s fun is it’s really like a family,” Clooney added. “It makes it easy.”

In the same interview, Roberts quipped: “What he’s saying is we’ve just stitched our lives closer together. All these people that come into our lives; my husband, my children, his wife Amal Clooney. We just keep stitching our lives closer together.” 

That stitch has culminated in the duo now having starred in six films together, including “Ticket To Paradise,” filmed on location in Australia's Whitsundays region between November 2021 and February 2022. The twosome plays a divorced couple who conspire to fly to Bali to break up their daughter’s wedding. The film brings Roberts and Clooney back into the rom-com game after a long hiatus, and is their first film together since 2016’s “Money Monster.” In an interview on the publicity trail for the film, the pair were asked why they had never dated and their response was unequivocal.

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In an October 2022 interview with Access Hollywood's Kit Hoover, Roberts and Clooney were their usual selves around each other, joking, laughing and feeling totally at ease. None of that changed even when Hoover questioned the pair on whether they had ever had a “no-dating policy.”

“To not date each other?” Roberts asked, adding with a laugh, “I don’t think we needed to state it.”

Clooney jumped in to explain that their platonic affection for one another was cemented at the start while other people tended to turn their heads romantically.

“Julia was always in a relationship, or I was in a relationship. We were fast friends right away,” Clooney stressed, to which Roberts responded by nodding her head and agreeing. “It’s been nothing but fun for us, so I don’t think that was ever really a thing,” Clooney continued.

“It was never like, hey …” Roberts said as Clooney finished her sentence with “let's take this to a different level,” before both stars erupted in laughter.

In another shining example of the pair’s wholesome and loving relationship, Roberts made a cameo during Clooney’s virtual appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” In December 2021 as he was promoting his film, “The Tender Bar.” As Clooney talked, Roberts slid into the frame next to him on an office chair wearing black sunglasses without saying a word.

“Holy moly. George ... I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but ... there’s a woman sitting next to you,” host Kimmel said. “Maybe I hallucinated that, I don’t know. Wow, it sure looked like Julia Roberts, though,” he added as the audience burst into laughter. 

It’s clear the two Oscar winners are just enjoying their friendship and time together, and we’re happy to catch even a little of their contagious feel-good vibes just by watching them. 

Aren’t these two just the cutest? Do you have friends in your life who are just as close to you as Julia Roberts is to George Clooney? Let us know and be sure to pass this along to your closest pals and family too.