Julia Roberts' brother criticizes her “Steel Magnolias” performance

Eric Roberts, the older brother of the popular Julia Roberts, is not afraid to publicly criticize one of his sister's most outstanding performances.

“Julia was good in 'Pizza by the Sea,' great in 'Pretty Woman,' but not so much in 'Steel Magnolias,' in my opinion, even though it earned Julia her first Oscar nomination,” he wrote in his recently released memoir, “Runaway Train: Or, The Story of My Life So Far,” according to Entertainment Weekly.

“I don't want to sound like an actor or a jealous sibling, but I don't think her performance in that film was up to par. When I saw her in Steel Magnolias, I thought, 'Okay. Good. She's almost a good actress and one day she will be,'” Eric wrote.

ERIC ROBERTS PUBLICLY APOLOGIZES TO SISTER JULIA ROBERTS

Eric Roberts didn't hold back in his assessment of his sister Julia Roberts' performance in Steel Magnolia, saying he didn't think she was very good. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images)

“In fact, I think all those brilliant women — Sally Fields (sic), Dolly Parton, Olympia Dukakis, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah — overdid it in 'Steel Magnolias,'” he continued. “Nobody is great in that movie. They all got a lot of set work, and we know that actors who cry in movies are at the top of their class. They get the Oscar nomination because crying gets a lot of recognition. It's the big joke in all acting classes, even in the great Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio. Crying and dying brings success!”

“Julia was good in 'Pizza by the Sea', great in 'Pretty Woman', but in my opinion not so much in 'Steel Magnolias'.”

—EricRoberts

“Steel Magnolias” stars Julia Roberts, Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Dolly Parton and Daryl Hannah pose for a portrait. (Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty Images)

At the 1990 Oscars, Brenda Fricker finally beat Julia to the nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in My Left Foot.

Eric further put his sister's nomination into perspective, saying her “Southern charm” contributed to it. “I also think another reason she got an Oscar nomination for 'Steel Magnolias' was her authenticity as a sweet Southern girl from a small town,” he wrote. “That's who she was, after all, or at least that's how she was at the beginning. I don't know if she had a dialect coach who tried to eradicate her Southern accent, but if so, thankfully it didn't do her any harm.”

Eric Roberts believes Julia Roberts' southern charm and good looks helped her career. (Ronald Siemoneit/Sygma via Getty Images)

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“I think that's a big part of her appeal — besides her great looks and dazzling smile — her Southern accent and manners,” he added. “Such beauty can be off-putting, especially to other women, but Julia's down-to-earth nature made her seem like your best friend. There's a certain colorful and charming quality to the Southern slang.”

“We know that an actor who cries in a movie is at the top of his class. He gets the Oscar nomination because crying gets a lot of recognition.”

—EricRoberts

A spokesperson for Roberts told Fox News Digital: “Eric deeply regrets saying any of the things he said about the performances in Steel Magnolias. In fact, things are expressed very differently on this subject in the audiobook and closer to his feelings. This film is not necessarily the type of film Eric prefers or is drawn to, as he is primarily a fan of political thrillers.”

“He may have felt there was a bit of melodrama. But he's the only one who noticed any downsides to the fantastic Steel Magnolias. When he rewatched the film, he honestly didn't know what he was thinking. If anything, it was a thoughtless, gratuitous comment,” they continued. “It's possible that the sheer sadness of certain aspects of the plot was too much for him when the film came out. So many of our reactions are unconscious, both to people and to the art they create.”

Eric Roberts has appeared in films such as Runaway Train, The Dark Knight and Inherent Vice. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images)

Eric stressed in his memoir that he was “not really” jealous of Julia, especially because they never auditioned for the same roles. However, he can admit that he felt his presence in Hollywood was shrinking while Julia's was growing.

“When this rare and exquisite event suddenly occurred, this worldwide phenomenon of Julia's fame, it thrust me into the public spotlight in a different way,” he wrote.

“At first we were faced with all sorts of suspicions – even outrageous and sinister rumors of incest. I don't know exactly where it started,” he said. “Perhaps it was a silly notion of what Southerners are capable of – a vicious dig at the South. But beyond that, it seemed as though there was no place for Julia and me in the public imagination – as though we were in competition with each other.”

The Roberts family comes from a small suburb of Atlanta, Georgia.

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Both Eric and Julia – here in 1996 – have had impressive careers in the industry. (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

Although he was not jealous of his sister, he did not necessarily express support for her.

“When you dominate the world, which she did for a while, and a family member doesn't immediately acknowledge it, you resent them,” he wrote of not immediately acknowledging her success. “I never gave her enough credit. I still saw her as my little sister and knew that she came from the white scum – like me – and yet she became one of the greatest stars who ever lived. And she knew it, God bless her. What a development!”

Emma Roberts and Julia Roberts pose together for a photo in 2012. (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images)

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Eric's relationship with Julia remains unclear – in 2018, he told Vanity Fair that he paved the way for both Julia and his daughter, actress Emma Roberts. “Without me, there would be no Julia Roberts and no Emma Roberts as celebrities, as actresses, and I'm very proud of that,” he said at the time.

According to an excerpt from his book obtained by People magazine, Eric apologizes for this remark. “I hope Julia will accept this public apology. It was a stupid statement.”

A spokesperson for Julia Roberts did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Tracy Wright of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.