Julia Roberts had to hide one of her best features to secure her breakthrough role in the 1988 film Mystic Pizza.
SUMMARY
- Julia Roberts is one of the most bankable actresses in Hollywood with her gorgeous blonde hair making her stand out.
- However, Roberts admitted having to dye her blonde hair to land the role of Daisy Araújo in 1988’s Mystic Pizza.
- Roberts also admitted to constantly bickering with Mystic Pizza co-star Vincent D’Onofrio despite the latter being smitten with her.
Julia Roberts is one of the most recognizable leading ladies in Hollywood. The actress has seen critical and commercial success, making her one of the most bankable stars in the industry. She is also known for her gorgeous blonde hair, which remains one of Roberts’ most defining features in her lengthy career.
However, for her breakthrough role in the 1988 romantic comedy-drama film Mystic Pizza, Roberts did not sport her famous blonde hair. Instead, she almost lost out on the role that defined her early career because of it. In an interview, Roberts opened up about her work on the now classic film. Here is what she had to say about hiding her most striking feature to land the part.
Julia Roberts recalled the audition process for Mystic Pizza
Julia Roberts made her acting debut in 1987 with her breakthrough performance as a leading lady coming in the following year’s rom-com Mystic Pizza. In the film, Roberts played Daisy Araújo, one of the waitresses at the titular pizza parlor.
The film’s cast reunited for a 25th-anniversary interview with Entertainment Weekly in 2013. During the conversation, Roberts reflected on securing her role in the film and admitted to hiding her naturally blonde hair on the casting director’s advice.
The casting director had said, ‘You can’t be blond when you see the director.’ I had never colored my hair before.
Roberts made the above statement, revealing she had to get her hair dyed before going in for her final audition with director Donald Petrie.
The Pretty Woman actress explained that on the casting director’s advice, she bought a black mousse and colored her hair black, which she found difficult because of her voluminous hair.
Moreover, after finishing her audition, Roberts got caught in the rain, resulting in the artificial color wearing off. As a result, it is safe to say that Roberts could have lost out on the role if she had not followed the casting director’s advice and dyed her hair.
Julia Roberts admitted she did not get along with one Mystic Pizza co-star
Despite having to forgo one of her most striking features for the movie, Roberts certainly nailed the part, receiving a Best Female Lead nomination at the Independent Spirit Awards. Aside from Roberts, the film also launched the careers of several other notable actors, including Lili Taylor, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Matt Damon.
In the same interview, Roberts reflected on working with the relatively young and inexperienced co-actors at the time. However, the Academy Award-winning actress admitted that she did not get along with D’Onofrio, stating:
Despite constantly bickering, D’Onofrio and Roberts seemingly did not have a bad experience working together as they went on to appear together in the 1981 film Dying Young, which was a commercial success.
Furthermore, D’Onofrio did not have any ill feelings towards Roberts, with the MCU’s Wilson Fisk / Kingpin actor admitting to being smitten with his co-star at the time. As a result, the duo’s agreements were harmless and they remain on cordial terms with each other.
