Julia Robert's Turns a Childhood Love into a Reel-Life Role

Julia Robert's has been a fan of the E.B. White classic Charlotte's Web since she was a young girl growing up in Smyrna, Georgia.

"I can still see the cover of the book—with that little sketch of Fern and Wilbur—sitting on our bookshelf," says Roberts. "It's such a timeless story."

Now as an adult, she's lending that love of the book into a role as the popular spider Charlotte in the live-action movie adaption alongside Dakot Fanning. The two are featured in this weeks Life taling about friendship, traditions, and that well-loved pig Wilbur.

Life: What part of Charlotte's Web resonates most with you?
Roberts: The idea of feeling all alone and needing someone to scoop you up and say "I’ll be your friend." Everybody's had a moment where they felt like that, and you wished somebody would come and sit with you at lunch or ask you to the dance.
Fanning: There are so many messages about being a loyal friend. Wilbur didn't know Charlotte was going to die, but he treated her so great for the time she was alive.

Life: What are some of your favorite children’s books?Fanning: I’ve read most of the classics, like Little Women and The Secret Garden. When I watch [Little Women], I’m always like, “If I had gotten to be in that movie, who would I have wanted to play?” Probably the little one, Amy.
Roberts: I remember liking the Frog and Toad Together books and Harry the Dirty Dog. My kids are still too young for them.

Life: What are you reading to your kids now?
ROBERTS: Good Night, Maisy. First Book of Sushi, which they love and we read almost every night.

Life: Did being a mom have anything to do with you signing on for Charlotte's Web?
Roberts: At the time, they were just teeny-tiny new babies, so I didn't think, Oh, one day . . . It was more like, "Charlotte is the spider, right?" I was so not mentally alert at that time in my life. So my husband [cameraman Danny Moder] and I watched the [1973] cartoon, and I remembered loving it as a kid.

Life: A touching part of Charlotte's Web is Fern's love for her family's pig, Wilbur. Do either of you have a pet that's special to you?
Fanning: I have a dog, Lewellen, who's a Schnoodle—[part] miniature schnauzer, [part] toy poodle. She's 8 months old, and I love her as much as Fern loved Wilbur. And I have a horse, Goldie [which Kurt Russell gave her after they filmed 2005’s Dreamer]. I ride her on the weekends.
Roberts: I had a dog named Satchmo I loved when I was a kid. He was a basset hound and eventually died, as all good pets do. When I became a grown-up and first moved to [New Mexico], I went to the pound and got a dog—a guy named Diego, who I had for 12 years. He was a mutt and looked like an old coyote. He died two summers ago, and it was devastating to me. He was my best pal.

Life: What’s your idea of a great Christmas gift?
Fanning: Dog and horse stuff. All pink. I'm into my pets.
Roberts: My friend Paige and I are reading a book together, Eat, Pray, Love [by Elizabeth Gilbert], and we keep calling each other, saying "What page are you on?" It's about a woman's sojourn through three countries, and it's fantastic. It's what I'm giving all my girlfriends for Christmas.

Life: What's great about Christmas?
Fanning: The present part, but the other parts are so important.
Roberts: I cook until I collapse. I do a big turkey, lots of sides—potatoes, beans, biscuits. And pies and cake. For me, Christmas is a day to eat, relax, and be with your family and your friends.

Life: Julia, do you feel differently about movies now that you're a mom?
Roberts: Once [my kids] start showing an interest in [films] I'll have to be discerning—watch a movie before they watch it to make sure the content is appropriate. But right now it's not a part of our life.

Source: Life