Steven Spielberg and Julia Roberts are undeniably two of Hollywood’s brightest stars, yet despite their shared status, it’s unlikely we’ll see them joining forces for a project in the near future. Both celebrities crossed paths during the production of the 1991 adventure film “Hook,” which became notorious not just for its imaginative take on J.M. Barrie’s classic but also for behind-the-scenes tension.
Directed by Spielberg, the film featured the legendary Robin Williams as Peter Banning—a middle-aged lawyer who rediscovers his magical past in Neverland. Roberts shone as the whimsical Tinkerbell, but her time on set was far from fairy-tale perfect.
The production of “Hook” was rife with rumors of discord, particularly between Roberts and Spielberg. It was even whispered that Roberts earned the nickname ‘Tinkerhell’ during filming, though she told Entertainment Weekly she’d never heard the term herself. She confessed to friction on set, rationalizing, “But I’m a normal person. If I sit in my trailer for six hours doing nothing, I’m going to say, ‘What the f**k is going on?’”
Spielberg, too, has been open about the strained dynamic, revealing to “60 Minutes,” “It was not a great time for Julia and I to be working together.” When prodded about future collaborations with Roberts, Spielberg’s hesitant response hinted at the depth of their professional rift: “This is a 60 Minutes question, isn’t it?”
Safe to say, Spielberg won’t be working with Roberts again.
Following the broadcast, Roberts reflected on Spielberg’s cautious words in an interview with Vanity Fair: “He took these hesitations as if he had to choose his words very carefully when asked about me. I watched it and thought, Is this the same man I had whipped-cream fights with on the set? Is this the same man who said that he couldn’t wait every day to get to our stage because it was more fun than the big stage? I guess sometimes it’s just too tempting to be in the majority.”
While Julia navigates the complexities of her professional relationships, her niece Emma Roberts also faces challenges linked to her family name. In a candid conversation with Flaunt, Emma revealed, “I’ve lost more jobs than I’ve gained from being in the business. People have opinions and sometimes maybe they’re not good opinions of people in your family. I’ve never gotten a job because of it, I know I definitely have lost a couple of jobs because of it.”