Eric Roberts wants to create clean air.
The 68-year-old actor apologizes to his sister Julia Roberts, 56, for saying he was responsible for her successful career.
Eric publicly apologized in his new memoir, Runaway Train: or, The Story of My Life So Far.
The Dancing With The Stars contestant was already a successful actor when his little sister moved to New York in 1985 to pursue her own acting career. Coincidentally, he was also suffering from a cocaine addiction at the time.
Eric, who is also the father of actress Emma Roberts, has taken credit for his little sister and daughter’s fame more than once.
“Without me, there would be no Julia Roberts and no Emma Roberts as celebrities, as actresses,” he told Vanity Fair in 2018, adding, “And I’m very proud of that.”
But now Eric changes his mind.
“I hope Julia will accept this public apology,” he writes in “Runaway Train,” according to People. “That was a stupid statement.”
He went on to say that he believes his drug addiction damaged his relationship with Julia and his other sister Lisa when they were younger.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder because it was dangerous to be around me,” he admitted. “Lisa and Julia needed love and protection – instead they became afraid and insecure.”
However, the “Dark Knight” actor said his addiction has damaged his relationship with his daughter more than anyone else.
“Of course, the worst consequence of my drug use was that I lost Emma,” he said, referring to the custody battle he had with Emma’s mother, Kelly Cunningham, and lost. Eric and Cunningham separated when Emma was still a baby.
The custody battle also marked the beginning of his estrangement from Julia, as she sided with Cunningham in the case. Although Eric did not elaborate on the moment, he wrote that it was the right decision for his ex to get custody of Emma.
“I imagine I will remain Julia’s brother and Emma Roberts’ father for the rest of my life,” he said. “I want to make amends by stepping aside with pride and dignity. That’s one of the reasons I wrote the book.”
It’s unclear how close Eric is with Emma and Julia at the moment, although the Runaway Train actor has shared how proud he is of his daughter’s work while admitting that neither his sister nor Emma like it when he mentions them in interviews.
“I’m in love with my daughter’s work,” Eric said on the “Still Here Hollywood” podcast in July. “I can’t believe how amazing she’s turned out. I’m so proud of her I can hardly see straight.”
“I’m so proud of her I can hardly see straight,” he continued. “From her performance in ‘Maybe I Do’ until now, she fills me with pride and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, here she goes again.’ And I’m just so happy to be her dad because she’s amazing. And I’m so proud.”
When asked how Julia was doing, he remained tight-lipped.
“You’ll have to ask her,” Roberts replied. “I love my sister, but I can’t talk about her. She doesn’t want to talk about it.”
“My daughter also told me not to talk about her, but I trip up and do it,” he said of the “American Horror Story” actor. “I’m not supposed to talk about her. But I do.”
When asked if he was responsible for Emma’s success, he replied: “Absolutely nothing. Except that I gave her that name.”
