THE RANKING
Four Empire writers. Ten movies. Ordered definitively.
Julia Roberts movies
Illustration: Jacey
Helen: When did you first become aware of Julia Roberts?
Nick: Probably the poster for Pretty Woman, which I knew about before I saw the film. I was a bit young for such tales. But the poster was extremely striking.
Helen: I lived in a very small town and I still feel like it was on every street corner.
Nick: Famously, they’re not actually her legs on it.
Becky: I remember that very clearly on my mum’s shelf. Helen: It was an iconic poster. It did launch a thousand imitations.
Nick: It has a lot to answer for. A lot of Matthew McConaughey leaning.
James: I first encountered Julia Roberts with the VHS cover of Mystic Pizza.
Nick: Was she leaning against a pizza?
James: She may or may not have had her own legs on the pizza. I wasn’t entirely sure. But crucially, I never rented it. Up until recently, I thought it was about supernatural pizza.
Helen: It’s one of her breakthrough roles.
James: It was very low-budget, but she has charisma and presence. She’s incredibly charming and also really ballsy.