Julia Roberts Is ‘Proving She Can Make More Giant Hits’ in Hollywood: Power and Clout ‘Still Matter’

Julia Roberts has conquered Hollywood, and now she's setting her sights on other powerful business moves, sources exclusively tell Closer, adding that it will mean more time apart from her husband of 22 years, Danny Moder.

"I guess Julia has a right to be a little full of herself because her last two big movie projects, Ticket to Paradise in 2022 and Leave the World Behind in 2023, were radically different but were both giant successes," says a source who has worked closely with the A-list actress, 56, during her post-pandemic career resurgence.

"It's given Julia an extra level of clout to have starred in one of the biggest romantic comedies of the last 10 years and Netflix's biggest movie of 2023 back-to-back," adds the insider, who notes that these projects were not ones "people were expecting big things from" when they were initially announced.

Julia starred opposite George Clooney in Ticket to Paradise, which proved to be a box-office success after it grossed $172 million worldwide. And the apocalyptic psychological thriller Leave the World Behind — produced by Barack and Michelle Obama and also featuring A-list actors Mahershala Ali and Ethan Hawke — was well received by critics.

But the success of both films didn't come as a surprise to the Oscar-winning actress nor her team, says the source, who reveals that Julia is "still as picky as ever about what projects she'll actually appear in."

According to the insider, "For Julia, power, clout and real influence still matter a lot, and she's proving she can make more giant hits pretty much at will. And she's not getting off this roller-coaster anytime soon, either."

Because Julia and Danny's children (19-year-old twins Hazel and Phinnaeus as well as 17-year-old Henry) are young adults now and her husband is "restless and always off doing his own thing," the source says, it gives Julia more time to be "deeply strategic about her choices."

Adds the insider, "Making a quote-unquote 'Julia Roberts movie' is still a big deal, 35 years into her career!"

However, the deep focus on her Hollywood aspirations could have an effect on her marriage to the cinematographer. A separate source recently told Closer, "She's doing her thing, he's doing his. They're living separate lives. They even have multiple houses and often live apart."

According to the source, Danny is hanging with his beach buddies and film contacts again while Julia is going full-steam ahead on her career. "It used to be that she would do a movie here and there," said the source, but as of late, "she's looking to pile on more work."

The insider added, "Julia’s on fire, but her work is all-consuming and her marriage is suffering."

This next phase of her life with Danny is critical. "They've been through a lot of ups and downs over the years," shared the source. "The hope is that they can find some kind of balance again between her professional and personal life. When it comes down to it, she doesn't want her marriage to fail — nor does he."