Julia Roberts and Sean Penn met to talk about Variety & cnn‘s Actors on Actors season 23, and their long friendship quickly turned into a sweet moment of gratitude for someone special in Julia’s life, her husband, Danny Moder.
During the episode, which aired on Saturday, December 6, Penn recalled their first meeting in New York City when he was working with Julia’s brother, Eric Roberts, on The Pope of Greenwich Village.
He remembered Julia as “Eric’s little sister,” probably still a teenager at the time. She jokingly replied, “Yes. I still am.”
As they continued to chat about their careers and their shared history, Penn revealed how fond he is of Moder.
“I think you’re phenomenal,” she told Julia before adding that her mother always liked being around her. He then praised Moder, calling him his “favorite cinematographer.”
Julia chimed in and joked that they share a “love” for Moder, which Penn didn’t hesitate to support with a story.
He recalled that Moder once filmed a project on handheld camera and stayed laser focused while working quietly from a corner.
Penn recalled that someone described that moment as “the sexiest thing in the world.”
Roberts and Penn also reflected on filming the 2022 Starz limited series. gas litwhere they played Martha and John Mitchell.
Julia has spoken before about Penn’s talent, saying at the time: “Sean Penn is simply the best in the game.”
She shared that watching him completely transform into his character was exciting.
Their friendship has spanned decades, from industry connections to working together on screen.
But in this meeting, one of the highlights was Penn openly admiring the man Julia built her life with, making it clear that the respect between them goes far beyond Hollywood.
