Julia Roberts Reflects on “Stand By Me” and its Impact on Her Family in the Digital Age
Hollywood icon Julia Roberts, at 57, recently shed light on a profound family moment that underscored the evolving nature of human connection in the digital age. In a candid interview with The New York Times, published on Wednesday, October 25, while promoting her latest film, After the Hunt, Roberts recounted how the beloved 1986 coming-of-age drama, Stand By Me, profoundly impacted her then-young daughter, Hazel.
The film, directed by Rob Reiner, captivated audiences with its poignant portrayal of friendship and discovery. Set in the summer of 1959, it follows four young friends—Gordie Lachance (Wil Wheaton), Chris Chambers (River Phoenix), Teddy Duchamp (Corey Feldman), and Vern Tessio (Jerry O’Connell)—as they embark on a journey to find the body of a missing boy. Their adventure is a rich tapestry of shared stories, vulnerabilities, and unspoken bonds, epitomizing a childhood free from modern technological distractions.
Roberts, who shares 20-year-old twins Hazel and Phinnaeus, and 18-year-old son Henry Daniel, with husband Danny Moder, recalled her daughter’s insightful reaction after watching the film. “For some reason, I was thinking this morning about when my kids were young and we showed them Stand by Me,” Roberts told the Times. She continued, “our daughter said to me, ‘I’m going to give you my phone.’ And I said, ‘OK. What do you want me to do with it?'”
Hazel’s response was a stark reflection on the film’s narrative: ” ‘I don’t want it,’ ” Roberts quoted her daughter. ” ‘Seeing that movie, I just thought if those boys had phones, they wouldn’t be talking to each other like that. They wouldn’t have gone looking for that body, they wouldn’t sit around the fire and share these stories.’ ” It was a moment, Roberts observed, where Hazel “could see how it was getting in the way of things.”
This experience deeply resonated with Roberts’ own perspective on communication. “I think people don’t realize how much they miss talking,” she remarked, emphasizing the simple yet often overlooked value of genuine conversation. This sentiment has long guided the family’s approach to technology, as Roberts revealed in a 2023 appearance on Today.
“We just had sort of simple rules where we had a charging station where everyone’s phones go when you get home. There’s no phones at the table, certainly,” she explained. These foundational rules fostered an environment where face-to-face interaction was prioritized, echoing the unfiltered camaraderie depicted in Stand By Me.
Even as her children have grown into adulthood and moved out of the family home, Roberts expressed immense gratitude for their enduring understanding. “There’s a huge amount of understanding,” she noted, highlighting that her older children “still allow me to be the same mom to them and it’s not eye-rolling.” The lessons from a classic film, it seems, continue to foster connection in the Roberts-Moder household, proving that some stories, and the conversations they inspire, are truly timeless.
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