Julia Roberts & Sean Penn | Actors on Actors
Julia Roberts and Sean Penn have known each other for 40 years. The two screen icons sit down to discuss the controversial themes in Roberts’ latest film ‘After the Hunt’, Penn’s scene-stealing performance in ‘One Battle After Another’ and the “disturbing” art that hangs in Penn’s home.
Watch all of this season’s Actors on Actors conversations: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLx_Nt-I7Vipi2SsPY2IYRVFhkVXhCIQq
Watch every Actors on Actors episode: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLx_Nt-I7ViqzwaE9Iubf84-gRpbNHokn
Join Variety to get access to members-only perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgRQHK8Ttr1j9xCEpCAlgbQ/join
Subscribe to Variety on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@variety?sub_confirmation=1
Subscribe to Variety Events on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCNYLx3nct1l7Ng9Z2h4bo4w?sub_confirmation=1
Connect:
http://www.facebook.com/variety
http://www.instagram.com/variety
http://www.twitter.com/variety

@MarioGianota
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
For Heaven's sake guys when the Hell was this filmed? Was it filmed twenty years ago for release now???? Or is it CGI? You know shit like that can be done these days.
@ДмитрийСоколов-ъ8ю
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
ONE OF THE BEST EPISODES so far. Amazing Sean, Amazing Julia ! ❤️🔥
@MitruNiki
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
2 actors mi favourite 😻
@MitruNiki
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
❤❤❤❤❤❤😊
@dimitrisk4721
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
He is a great actor. But he really aged very quickly the last years…
@SerenaLarsen_SL
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
They are so funny together. Sean on his own seems grumpy, but he might actually be quite wholesome.
@SerenaLarsen_SL
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
They are so funny together. Sean on his own seems grumpy, but he might actually be quite wholesome.
@edkeaton
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
They both seemed really comfortable with interviewing each other. I wish these two would've done a movie together. 😎👍
@wendygrant3873
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
Hey Hollywood, lets get these two amazing actors together again on film.
@thedarintino
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
I saw ALIENS on its opening theatrical weekend, packed theater. Something happened I’d never experienced before and only one other time since: when Hudson got taken down the ENTIRE audience reacted the same way I did , basically a collective “Aw no. No! Hudson! Aww NO! Hudson!”
No one wanted to see Hudson go down right when his combat mojo came back. But he went down fighting. We all felt the sadness and bittersweet. The simultaneous outpour of the very same feeling.
The only other time I experienced this unified audience emotion in a full theater?
When I went back the next weekend to see ALIENS again.
And yeah, the entire audience reacted to the moment exactly the same.
Bill Paxton. What an incredible talent he had
@markj702
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
Julia, you have 76 acting credits on IMDB. I guess when you said 55 it was just specifically movies though. And may there be many many more. Also: Sean Penn is a sage and I could listen to him all day talking about his career! BTW he has 77 acting credits on IMDB. Coincidence?
@Bhakti_Chakra
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
I love Sean's authenticity.
@sam.jones89
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
Sean penn hates me. He thinks I’m disgusting and pathetic. He’s right.
@loraglick5745
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
What a treasure to see these two gifted actors who I grew up with and have greatly admired AND to be able to capture a glimpse of their friendship & humanity because of these interviews!!! Thank you, Variety & a special thank you to the actors for being willing to share themselves this way on camera. Not all of these interviews are like this one – cheers to them both from a truly grateful fan!!!
@blipstat
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
Two very intelligent persons conversating. Pure gold. No wrong steps in their entire careers.
@MarioGianota
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
Guys you have got to be joking. They have taken some wonder drug created by a 21st century biochemist. It is probably very expensive. For Heaven's sake. It is obvious. They are both orange. lol
@enigmaticcerredwyn811
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
Born 1967, I believe
@samiam7342
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
working with Julia – u look into Julias eyes and u dont have to do anything else – she's gonna take care of the rest………
@jwmeirose
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
Well, 41 minutes of saying nothing. Great video.
@AyBeker
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
I can see Sean Penn similar gestures in Ryan Gosling!
@StephenBurns2413
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
Man. That is an old 65 for Penn. Roberts is only 7 years younger.
@Molondon1987
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
The man who put away El Chapo
@deliberatedmind
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
One of the most interesting informative playful seamlessly interactive easy going intelligent conversations! 🥰 So many of them are so superficial so forced so convoluted so fake that it is painful to watch. 😑
@GatorVTL
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
while they all live in Malibu. Fake as fuck
@GatorVTL
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
I think Sean is in the 9th inning.
@Justice6028
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
I just watched one battle after another and that was such a good movie. Oh my gosh performances
@kn7615
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
I love that…when she listens and talks about her husband, she suddenly and truly looks 16 again, lol…sweetest thing EVER
@kn7615
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
I so enjoy and appreciate that these two are equally brilliant…and in such different ways. Although If you ever want to see Sean Penn quite simply out-artistried…like a tri-cycler trying to keep up, emotionally, with a ten-speeder, watch him with Nicole Kidman in The Interpreter. It was watching that movie when I realized she is a genius character actor…who also happens to be really beautiful. George Clooney same same. In this film, Kidman is being while Penn is aaaacccting. Hard to watch.
@kn7615
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
I love her so much. She's just an Old Soul. It is so delightful watching her listen deeply and be utterly delighted by him.
@Thiccaroni
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
Icons!!!!!!!!!
@cassandraraphael6727
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
Julia Roberts is one of my favorite actors of all time!
@creativitycell
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
Chill out Sean! U didn't have to do this! What's the point of turning it into a metaphysical media conspiracy of false reality! 😂
@tanyakuceyart
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
He was and seems to always be truly himself. Whereas every time I see Julia Roberts, I never feel like she’s not acting.
@MarjaKorpisaari-d2r
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
Hate and love what a beautiful combination… The strongest feeling are win. If hate win, they kill one another, or one are got killed, and if love are the winner, they are one of the happiest lovers in this time and space. Maybe some other have had or going to have a more lasting love. They are young, and they havent resistens to all evil that maybe are seem evil but are in good intent.
@dmoney668
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
Sean was very kind to my mother as they met at a DC political event. She passed recently and we had been talking about that conversation because my stepfather interrupted it like a tourist and started taking pictures :-). But I always appreciate that, and She was at a high level at a large defense contractor — Said he was very articulate and knew what he was talking about inside a world most people don't have access to. Thank you I appreciate it (If you read this anyway).
@Suziek-4
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
Does anyone know if SP has any health conditions?
@pop9095
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
@13:50 That's right sister. And to be able to trust those people to tell you if what you are saying makes you sound like a donut, because they love you and they know you are not a donut. And they trust you in the same way, yeah? That is the way.
@chinese-package1694
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
Julia is an absolute TREASURE! 😭
@LawrenceFeldman-r9s
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
Well worth my time to watch these artists.
@hectorsanchezfernandez3470
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
Just love both of them, super fan of Sean but I'm amazed of how still Julia's laugh can overlight the room and is so breathtaking
@MvxJames
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
What a great duo
@almazsapa
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
Hi Shon
You know… It's, when, ima… Then
@RagdolledRecaps
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
Sean Penn really turned out to be disappointing – wish he'd stop crying about politics, just act dude, you and all your friends benefited massively from capitalism and you are all multimillionaires, why are you even doing this interview? oh yeah to feed your egos? if you all just act id still respect you. oh well…
@MCMNasty2
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
This was very good. Would’ve liked to hear Julia’s answers to some of the great questions she asked of Sean.
@DN-nm4rl
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
Don't bother watching Julia's new movie, The Hunt or whatever it was titled. It was awful.
@thelatestgreatest8082
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
All these new garbage movies these guys do. These actors need to wake up and get back to the 90s when they used to make good movies. One bottle after another was complete gutter trash
@monicabrandt6234
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
Great Homage to the Director Paul.. I Love Julia .. I became a Sean Penn fan with one battle after another… and Paul should win for Best Director , Leo best Actor, Sean best supporting Actor.. Hands down…
@davideopro
January 10, 2026 at 12:19 pm
Julia is so very awesome