Hollywood is a hot seat for many complicated relationships between celebrities where friendship can sometimes take a backseat.

But Julia Roberts and George Clooney are an example of that anomalies do exist in the industry. Both stars have famously shared a very pleasant and close bond that has been purely platonic.

While Clooney and Roberts have always given the “lifelong friends” vibe, the actors met only as late as 2001 on the sets of their multistarrer, Ocean’s Eleven.

Hollywood stars Julia Roberts and George Clooney

What started as a friendship based on tricks and pranks developed into a deep bond that the two stars have carried forward through their careers. Julia Roberts’ initiation into the nature of Clooney’s personality though, was not a walk in the park for the Pretty Woman star.

George Clooney Almost Made A Pregnant Julia Roberts Cry

Julia Roberts and George Clooney’s friendship is like a breath of fresh air in Hollywood. While the Oscar winners share a close bond off-screen, Roberts faced some tricky times while dealing with Clooney’s infamous pranks with co-conspirator Brad Pitt on the sets of Ocean’s Twelve.

The star who was pregnant at the time, recalled an incident in which her co-actors almost made her cry.

“When I got to the hotel in Rome, [during the filming of Ocean’s Twelve] I opened my suitcase and there was this giant, heavy bronze statue in my suitcase and I almost burst into tears, ‘How could they do this to me’”

Julia Roberts and George Clooney in Ocean’s Twelve

Roberts went on to add that the pranks made their friendship grow deeper and more meaningful. The star also fondly recalled Clooney’s hospitality during the filming of the sequel when The Descendants actor welcomed a pregnant Roberts warmly into his house in Italy and made her feel at home.

George Clooney Gave A Witty Welcome To Julia Roberts

Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Eleven saw an enviable array of Hollywood superstars sharing screen space in the heist thriller. One of the biggest draws was Julia Roberts. Undoubtedly Hollywood’s sweetheart for her stunning presence over the years, the actor became the highest-paid female actor in the 2000s with an official salary of $20 million per film.

George Clooney who headlined Ocean’s Eleven by playing the titular character, welcomed his co-actor with a witty and humorous gesture. The star sent Roberts the script of the film along with a note and a $20 bill with the words,

“I hear you’re getting 20 a picture now,”

Julia Roberts and George Clooney on the sets of Ticket to Paradise

Over the years, the Syriana actor and the Erin Brockovich star have developed a close rapport as friends. George Clooney who has always openly declared his respect and affection for Roberts, elaborated on why they clicked well on and off-screen.

“The minute we met, we had fun. The beauty is, when you work with people who take their work seriously and don’t take themselves seriously, and that’s really fun.”

Their bond translated to many successful partnerships on screen over the years. Apart from the Ocean’s Eleven sequels, Clooney and Roberts starred together in Ticket to Paradise, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Money Monster, and August: Osage County.