Emma Roberts: ‘I was obsessed with the royals…it feels so fancy & old-fashioned’

Emma Roberts covers the March issue of Tatler. The interview was conducted before anyone confirmed that she and Garrett Hedlund had broken up, but she managed to shimmy away from relationship questions anyway. This is her branding now: single mother, nepotism actress, book-club-starter, soon to be mogul. I think that’s her ultimate goal, to move away from “acting full time” and into some kind of Reese Witherspoon-esque second career as a producer, lifestyle brand and influencer. Honestly, I don’t hate that for her, because she’s not a good actress at all and I’m all for people quitting sh-t that they’re not good at. Her book club is called Belletrist and her production company’s first Netflix series comes out this year (First Kill, about teenage vampires). Some highlights from her interview:

The paparazzi. ‘The way I was followed and treated when I was pregnant was disgusting. I’d be driving to a doctor’s appointment and they’d be following me so closely. At one point, I remember saying to them, “Please don’t do that, I’m eight months pregnant.” But they don’t care. It’s not the fun, creative part of the job, for sure.’

On her father, Eric Roberts: She references her mother frequently and with affection – ‘She’s pretty much been with me non-stop since Rhodes was born’ – but never mentions her father. Are they close? ‘Um… how do I say this?’ she says, shifting in her chair. ‘No, we’re not.’

She’s an Anglophile: ‘I was obsessed with the royals, obsessed with having an English accent. When I realised that the role [in ‘Wild Child’] meant filming in England for a summer, I felt my life was about to start. I bought my first leather jacket in London and my first leopard-print coat. Living there really influenced what I was into.’

The notion of a royal family is captivating. ‘It feels so fancy and old-fashioned. I remember seeing Buckingham Palace and thinking, “Wait, someone lives there?”’ The Anglo love-in endures to this day: some of her favourite television shows are UK crime dramas. ‘Marcella, Broadchurch, The Fall – I love them. I would love to do a period drama in England. That’s definitely on my acting bucket list.’

Working on ‘About Fate’ four months after she gave birth: ‘I wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t had my mum’s support. Knowing that she was there to take amazing care of Rhodes meant that I could be fully present on set.’

Being diagnosed with endometriosis: For years her complaints of debilitating stomach cramps had been dismissed by her male doctor; it was only when, feeling exasperated, she sought out a female doctor that her symptoms were taken seriously. The delay in diagnosis, Roberts was informed, was likely to have impacted her chances of having a baby. How did she react? ‘I wasn’t upset but I just felt the heaviness of the moment,’ she says, exhaling into the cold air. ‘I sat with myself and thought, “Luckily, I know older women who are great role models of the fact that you don’t need children to be happy.” I either would or would not be a parent. Whichever one it was, I wanted to be in radical acceptance of it.’ She froze her eggs, but ultimately conceived naturally.

When asked about her relationship with Garrett Hedlund: She politely declines to comment. ‘I’m at a place where I can say, “I may not have got everything right but I like who I am more than I ever have.” My life has changed more in the past two years than it did in the 28 years beforehand and I love where I’m standing now at the age of 30.’

Raising a son in today’s world: ‘I definitely think about how I can help him be the utmost gentleman. I want him to be respectful and intelligent at school but also in life. What it means to be a man is being rewritten right now and I hope my contribution to the world can be raising an amazing boy who turns into an amazing man. I want him to feel that there’s nothing he couldn’t ask or tell me.’

[From Tatler]

Throughout the interview, Emma has the kind of breezy confidence of someone with unexamined, unearned success which was largely handed to her on a silver platter. I’m sure she believes she’s worked hard for everything she has, and that when she was a kid, she was so incredibly talented, she couldn’t help but get tons of work. But let’s be real: Aunt Julia made all of this happen for her. I don’t even blame Julia – she adores her niece, of course she gave Emma a huge leg up. But lord, this is one of those times when a real education would have made a world of difference.

As for the Anglophile stuff… I don’t even believe her! The stuff about endo, she’s talked about it before, and I do appreciate the fact that celebrity women are coming out more and more to discuss endo.

Cover & IG courtesy of Tatler.