Julia Stiles Opens Up About Her Struggles with Body Image and Eating Disorders
The actress, known for her roles in 10 Things I Hate About You and Mona Lisa Smile, has spoken candidly about her experiences with restrictive eating and body image issues in her 20s and early 30s. According to an article on Yahoo Entertainment, Julia Stiles, 41, revealed that she struggled with “restrictive” eating, which she described as “stressful” and “a waste of time”.
In an episode of the How to Fail with Elizabeth Day podcast, Julia explained how she had a “disordered relationship” with food and her body. “I’m not talking about an eating disorder — it was just restrictive, regimented, stressful,” she said. “I always worried that it was going to be out of my control. Like, what if I gain weight?” as reported by Yahoo Entertainment.
Julia also spoke about how her co-star, Julia Roberts, was a positive influence on her during the filming of Mona Lisa Smile in 2003. She described Julia Roberts as a “mother figure” who was kind and generous to the young women on set. “She was an amazing example for us, and she was so maternal with all the young women on that set,” Julia said. “She was coming from a lot of experience of being not just a woman, but also a woman where your appearance is focused on so heavily,” as quoted in the Yahoo Entertainment article.
The Mona Lisa Smile film, directed by Mike Newell, starred Julia Roberts as Katherine Ann Watson, an art history teacher at Wellesley College in the 1950s. Julia Stiles played one of Watson’s students, alongside Kirsten Dunst, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Ginnifer Goodwin. According to Julia, Julia Roberts took the time to be kind and generous to the young women on set, despite being a huge star. “The movie hinged on her — she’s a huge star; everything was riding on her performance in this movie,” Julia said.
Julia’s comments about Julia Roberts echo what she said earlier this year on the Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen podcast. She described Julia Roberts as someone who “took care of all the girls on that set in a way she didn’t really [have to]”. This sentiment was also reported by Yahoo Entertainment.
As a mother of three children, Julia said that she has moved on from her negative body image issues and learned to be kinder to herself. “I’ve learned to be kinder in the way I think about my body and look at my body — to be kinder to myself but also trust your body,” she said. The National Eating Disorders Association helpline is 1-800-931-2237; for 24/7 crisis support, text “NEDA” to 741741.
Source: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/articles/julia-stiles-shared-julia-roberts-210935244.html
Source link
