Julia Roberts has shared her thoughts on last week’s college admissions scandal, which saw 50 people being charged with fraud to advance students’ entry and academic success, including fellow Hollywood stars Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin. The scandal made international headlines.
The 51-year-old Oscar winner, who is mother of 14-year-old twins Hazel and Phinnaeus, and 11-year-old Henry with her husband, Danny Moder, was in London promoting her latest project Ben Is Back, when she spoke frankly to ITV about the incident.
Roberts raised the topic of the scandal in the interview because it has similarities to the story of Ben is Back, in which the star plays Holly, the mother of drug-addicted 19-year-old Ben (Lucas Hedges). Holly welcomes Ben, who has been in recovery for months, home. She then has to trust her son again in the face of addiction and its aftermath.
The actor explained that it’s the opposite of what she feels has happened in the admissions scandal, where Huffman and Loughlin allegedly paid money to advance their children’s education, rather than having faith in them being able to achieve success on their own merit.
“I feel that [my character] is trying to say, ‘I have so much faith in you, I have both our faiths until you can find the faith in yourself again’,” Roberts explained, adding that this doesn’t seem to be what’s happened with the college fraud allegations.
“That to me is so sad, because I feel, [as] an outsider, that it says a little bit, ‘I don’t have enough faith in you’.”
Watch: Julia Roberts speaks to ITV about the college admissions scandal. Post continues after.
The actor also shared that as parents, she and Moder are unified in their approach to their children.
“My husband and I are very aligned on that front, I think that we live a very normal experience with our children.
“Obviously we have advantages that we didn’t have as children. But I think that’s the unique part of it, coming from the childhood that I have.
“You do need to know how to make your bed and do your laundry and make one meal. These are important life skills.”
In conclusion, Roberts added, “They have to run their own race. They have to have their own experience.”
The allegations against Huffman and Loughlin.
Olivia Jade Gianulli, the 19-year-old daughter of Loughlin, was an Instagram influencer and YouTube vlogger when her mother allegedly bribed her way into the University of Southern California.
Huffman allegedly arranged, via a $15 000 donation, for her daughter to receive “100 per cent extra time” on her SAT exam. This was allegedly meant to be achieved by having an accomplice supervise the test.
What do you think of the college admissions scandal? Tell us in the comments below.
Top Comments
The most serious part of this for me is that Julia and Danny's twin are 14 years old..... OMG I remember her telling Ellen their sex when pregnant. Now I just feel old.
'That to me is so sad, because I feel, [as] an outsider, that it says a little bit, ‘I don’t have enough faith in you’.
I see what Julia is saying, however, Loughlin and Huffman may have had a very realistic understanding of their children's desires and capabilities and known full well that on the basis of merit they would never have been accepted to prestigious universities. It's not a crime to NOT be the smartest kid in school.
Loughlin's daughter (I think) especially seemed to have no interest in attending the university that she did, she was more focussed on her YouTube channel and getting subscribers to that. If she is focussed on her channel then there's no reason to believe that she gives any sort of a shit about schoolwork, either before or after being accepted.
With Lori Loughlin’s daughter in particular - what did mum think was going to happen when she got her daughter in to college? Did she honestly think she would buckle down and hit the books, despite her obvious lack of interest?
No, she probably thought she could choose courses where most of the grade is determined by your written work, versus exams and she could simply just pay someone to do the work for her and turn that in. This is apparently what a lot of these rich kids who buy their way in (or whose parents buy their way in) end up doing.
Yep That's what happens and with the help of mum and dad's connections Plus paid coaches and their name of course.Silly Americans buy the line that everyone by working hard can attain the American dream a bit like those on the right in Australia who seem to think that there's thousands of jobs just waiting for applicants
Yeah, I really have no idea!