Julia Roberts Denies a Long-Held Rumor About Her Famous Smile
Most celebrities make money off their looks. So it’s understandable they’d want to protect their appearance in case anything would affect their earning capability. Julia Roberts is an acting powerhouse who has starred in many movies thanks to her talent, charm, and beauty. At the forefront of her good looks is her megawatt smile. And for years, reports circulated that Julia Roberts’ smile was insured for millions. But the actor finally debunked that myth once and for all.
Julia Roberts’ career and megawatt smile
Roberts became an acting heavyweight almost instantly, and it’s easy to see why. She made her acting debut in 1987 at age 19 when she appeared in Crime Story. Her performance in the NBC drama garnered her attention from directors and industry players.
The following year, she landed a small but important role in Mystic Pizza. It helped prove Roberts’ star power and showed she was ready to take on bigger roles. That year, she appeared in Steel Magnolias, becoming her mainstream breakout. When her famous role in Pretty Woman came at the turn of the decade, Roberts already had an impressive screen presence.
Then came her starring role in Erin Brockovich. Roberts commanded a $20 million salary to play the real-life law clerk and environmental activist, becoming the first woman to earn that much for an acting role.
The investment was worth it — Erin Brokovich became a hit and earned the actor an Oscar.
Roberts has appeared in many other movies, with IMDb noting her nearly 70 acting credits. She has some seriously impressive acting chops. And her flowing hair, mile-long legs, and gleaming grin have become her trademarks.
Julia Roberts’ smile is so recognizable that it makes sense she would want to protect it at all costs. So, maybe that’s what prompted reports that she insured her iconic grin for a whopping $30 million.
Julia Roberts’ smile is not insured, according to the actor herself
Though reports of Julia Roberts’ smile insurance had been ongoing for a while, the actor never confirmed nor denied them until recently. In an April 2022 interview with The New York Times Magazine, Roberts shut down the rumors.
Asked whether her smile was insured, Roberts replied, “No. What am I insuring it against? How would you do that?”
The interviewer gave Roberts an example of what they meant by insuring, pointing to the rumor that Tina Turner had insured her legs. Roberts acknowledged the story about the legendary singer, saying, “Oh, I have heard that. I mean, if my smile was insured, there would be someone at my house on a nightly basis saying, ‘You need to floss longer.'”
The actor’s Oscar win forced her dentist to buy 10,000 tubes of toothpaste
After Julia Roberts won an Oscar for Erin Brokovich, her hometown dentist had to make good on a longstanding promise. Dr. Ted Aspes had vowed years earlier that if any of his patients won a major, world-class award, he’d buy every kid in town a tube of toothpaste.
So when Roberts earned the Academy Award, Aspes had to make good on his promise to the kids in the town of Smyrna, Georgia. To do that, he had to purchase 10,000 tubes of toothpaste.
“I usually order a few hundred,” Aspes told the Associated Press. “My distributor called and said, ‘Hey, doc, are you sure there isn’t a comma in the wrong place?'”
