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Julia Roberts & Sean Penn | Actors on Actors

Variety | January 10, 2026



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.

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Written by Variety

Comments

This post currently has 48 comments.

  1. @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

  2. @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?

  3. @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!!!

  4. @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

  5. @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. 😑

  6. @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.

  7. @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.

  8. @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).

  9. @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.

  10. @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…

  11. @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…

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