Eric Roberts apologizes to Julia Roberts after taking credit for his career

In his new memoir released last week, Eric Roberts publicly apologized to his sister Julia Roberts for his “stupid” comments about her Oscar-winning career.

“One of the things I want to apologize for in this book is that I have said publicly more than once, 'If it weren't for me, there would be no Julia Roberts,'” he wrote in Runaway Train: or the story of my life so farreleased on September 17, according to People.

The actor, who is known for his role in Runaway train alongside Jon Voight and is currently in the 33rd season of Dancing with the starsrefers to an infamous 2018 Vanity Fair interview in which he said: “If it weren’t for me, there would be no Julia Roberts and no Emma Roberts [who is his daughter] as celebrities, as actresses, and I am very proud of that.”

At that time he also said that he had helped Pretty woman Star to get her first agent, saying, “When Julia first came to New York, I went to William Morris and asked, 'Which one of you is going to sign my sister Julia?' And I'm so proud that everyone knows I was the first, because I was the first by a long shot. I was the first to be nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar, and I'm proud of that.”

In the book, he continued: “This is not only unfortunate, it is also untrue. And I hope Julie will accept this public apology. It was a foolish statement. I was proud of her, but it was pride turned on its head, for my own benefit.”

Roberts further described the popular actress as a “very ambitious woman,” adding that even without his influence or help, someone would have “picked her out of the crowd” to pursue a career in Hollywood. However, he said it was perhaps his way of paving the way for Julia that changed the course of her life.

“On the other hand, I was born to do this. I moved to New York City when I wasn't even old enough to drink a beer in public. If Julie had stayed in Atlanta, she probably would have married a rich guy and had a very different life. So I take credit for telling my sisters, 'Come on up, girls, the water's good.' Then, it seems to me, she saw my life as a young actress in New York and saw what I was doing for a living, and she wanted to try it out.”

Elsewhere in the book, Roberts also reflects on not being able to “stand” being Emma's father and speaks openly about his cocaine addiction. Earlier this summer, the actor told Still here, Hollywood Podcast that he “actually shouldn’t talk about” Emma or Julia, but that he “stumbled” and is doing so.