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Oprah: The pressure was off because he didn't think you'd win, either.

Julia: Yes. So I proceeded to have the best time ever.

Oprah: Were you panicked about what to wear?

Julia: Well, no. I had been on vacation, and I came back very relaxed. I didn't know anything about what people were writing or saying or doing. My team had orchestrated the full Barbie Dream House—the hotel room with tons of dresses in it. I tried on one dress after another, got opinions, and took pictures of the ones we liked the best. All the designers were waiting by the phone. Talk about high-class problems.

Oprah: I call this walking in very tall cotton.

Julia: Everybody was so generous, and I had more dresses than I've ever seen. And there was this one dress that my girlfriend Debbie Mason, who's a stylist, sent over, and I put it on, and it was perfect. So fun! Even later, when I was walking down the red carpet, people are screaming and everything else, and it was just exciting. You turn and see all these famous people, like Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, two of the nicest people on the planet Earth.

Oprah: That's funny, because people are so excited about seeing you. You're Julia Roberts!

Julia: Tom and Rita's son is sitting next to them. So at one point I say, "Hi, I'm Julia." Tom goes, "Oh, this is Chester." When I reach out to shake his hand, he goes, "I just met you outside." I thought, "My head wasn't on my shoulders outside, Chester." I didn't exactly have it together. I realized I was orbiting, because I can't even remember Chester, whom I met seven minutes ago.

Oprah: Oh, God, that has happened to me. That is a horrible moment. So your name is called, and then what?

Julia: I was so excited, but then I got to the stairs. You know how when you put on a dress and you have to always do a sit-down check? When I sit down, will it bend at this widest point? I hadn't done a stair check. I couldn't really bend, so I had to go up kinda sideways.

Oprah: And all that time you're thinking, "What am I going to say?"

Julia: No. I was just trying to get up the stairs. That took my mind off the fact that I'm actually going to give an acceptance speech.

Oprah: So you hadn't prepared one.

Julia: No.

Oprah: Because you thought you weren't going to win.

Julia: I think you miss out when you prepare. You miss out on making an ass of yourself. I lost it up there. I was happy—I mean, you know, hell, I just won the Academy Award. Never thought that was going to happen. It's insanity. You've got to roll with it.

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