Julia Roberts wants to tell younger self not to ‘pluck eyebrows’

Julia Roberts gets right to the point when asked what advice she would give her 19-year-old self, saying, “Stand up straighter. It’s all going to be okay, and don’t pluck your eyebrows.”

Roberts celebrated her twins’ 19th birthday by sharing newborn photos and was asked by People magazine, along with her co-star from Leave The World Behind Mahershala Ali, about advice they’d give their younger selves.

“Be patient,” says Ali, 49, “because things will unfold as they should. I always tell myself to be prayerful, patient and persistent. Those three things and I feel you’ve got it all, in my humble opinion.”

The two Oscar winners, whose latest thriller will be available on Netflix on Friday, initially met at one or more gatherings, though they are unsure of which exact one. When Roberts gave Green Book the Best Picture Oscar at the 2019 Oscars, they reconnected.

Says Roberts, “That was another moment where I felt like I’m slowly working myself into his lexicon. I’m just getting in there. … Then on this film, [director Sam Esmail] and I were so excited that it worked out with Mahershala.”

Both performers watch terrifying films with caution, even though their latest production may have audiences on the edge of their seats.

“I don’t like to be scared,” says Roberts. Adds Ali, “Not anymore. I loved it as a kid. I watched Friday the 13th at 8, 9 years old. Horror films and creature features. Then I got in my teens and drifted away from all that, and just as an adult I’m not that interested in being scared. … Roller coasters, I’m good.”

Says Roberts with a smile, “I used to like roller coasters when I was a kid growing up in Georgia; the Scream Machine at Six Flags was pretty great.”