Julia Roberts on Oprah

Julia Roberts made time in a busy schedule to go on the Oprah show on Monday, and we’re so glad that she did. She’s an iconic legend that we can trust more than Angelina Jolie, and root for more than Jennifer Aniston. Okay, at least that’s how I feel. But you cannot deny that Julia Roberts is one of the women of Hollywood who truly has her stuff together, and she looks like she’s having fun while she does it. She talked to Oprah about her new movie Eat, Pray, Love, her kids (5-year-old twins, Finn and Hazel, and 2 1/2-year-old son, Henry), and her husband. She didn’t mention any magic tricks, but I bet she has a few up her sleeve.

For being one of the biggest movie stars we have in America, Julia Roberts is stunningly down to earth. She’s the kind of person you simply can’t be afraid of, she’s just that calming and sweet. Lindsay Lohan, please take notes.

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia is a 2006 memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert. Oprah has long been a fan of the book, and apparently Julia Roberts quickly became a fan as well. (Should I admit that I haven’t read the book yet? Eeep!)

On falling in love with the book Eat Pray Love:
“I hadn’t heard anything about it. I got about 30 pages into it. … And I remember putting the book down and walking over to the computer, getting on Amazon and ordering the book.”

On gaining weight during filming:
“I ate a lot, and [the producers] made me eat it. TThey knew I was going to advance my muffin top, which I did, but it all worked out.”

On husband Danny Moder:
“I sort of worship my husband … He really takes my breath away.”

On the magic of India:
“To be in India is to experience India. It’s not that you have to go find it. It’s all right there,” she says. “[The children] love it. I mean, Hazel said when she grows up, that’s where she’s going to live.” … “My kids were really into the culture of every place we went. Hazel wanted to shave her head, so I let her shave the back half of her head. They would chant, and they were just interested.”

On being the least sexy woman in Hollywood:
“First off, no one calls me for sex in a movie: ‘Let’s see, we’re gonna have a movie where the girl has lots of sex. Who do we take off the list first?’ Me.”

On her favorite meal:
“It’s hard to say… I love a good, big meal. I had a big steak last night that just had me smiling until this morning. I like garlic. Anything with a lot of garlic on it, I’m going to like it. [I like] pasta, a nice ragout. But, you know, also put something in the Crock-Pot, it’s going to come out, and I’m going to like it.”

On family:
“I have a great family, the family I’m a part of as a sister and a daughter and just really close friends. Then, to get to translate that into being with Danny and our three children, that’s the biggest love that you can have. One you almost can’t contain.”