Julia Roberts Kept Distance From Gilbert

Julia Roberts kept her distance from writer Liz Gilbert because she didn't want to imitate her.

The Oscar winning actress is back on the big screen with her new movie Eat Pray Love, an adaptation of Gilbert's novel of the same name.

Roberts takes on the role of Gilbert in the movie, which also stars Javier Bardem and James Franco, but didn't meet the author until filming was underway.

Speaking to The Scotsman Newspaper the actress said: "The director Ryan Murphy had a relationship with her through pre-production but I felt it was important for me in portraying her to go with my instincts, to get enough filming done that I was already on a course by the time I met her.

"She's a lovely person. She has great way of talking and very specific mannerisms, but I didn't want to imitate her."

And Roberts admits that she took on the role of Gilbert in the movie because she found the author to be a very complex character.

"Liz goes through a wide range of emotions, as you'd expect because the story covers a year of her life, so it was a great opportunity to play a complex and fascinating character.

"Her journey is very specific and very visual in a way that's appealing, but it's also a universal story that can apply to anybody."

Eat Pray Love is out now.