Normally, Hollywood couples are between two actors or a director and a producer, maybe. But for Julia Roberts, despite playing the hunky Brad Pitt’s love interest in her 2001 film, The Mexican, she fell in love with the man behind the camera, Daniel Moder.
In 2000, Roberts and Moder met while filming The Mexican. Both of them, however, were already in relationships – Roberts was dating Benjamin Bratt and Moder was married to celebrity makeup artist Vera Steimberg.
But something about each other drew them closer and they ended up breaking off their other relationships and pursued each other.
“He sorted his whole thing out, separate and apart from me,” Julia told Oprah in 2003. “And I sorted my life out, separate and apart from him. I think that’s the only reason we were able to ultimately fall in love with each other and be together.”
Two years after their meeting, and months after Moder finalized his divorce with Steimberg, the two wed in a surprise ceremony on Independence Day, where guests – who were simply invited to a Fourth of July party – were caught off guard when the couple suddenly exchanged vows and tied the knot.
Another two years into their marriage, their family doubled, as they welcomed their fraternal twins, daughter Hazel and son Phinnaeus.
Three years later, in the summer of 2007, they welcomed their third child, Henry.
Both Roberts and Moder have had very successful careers in Hollywood for different reasons, obviously, seeing their differing roles when it comes to making films.
In 2014, the couple reunited professionally with the HBO movie, The Normal Heart, in which Moder was nominated for an Emmy.
“It was a challenging role,” he told The Hollywood Reporter at the time of his nomination. “It wasn’t a sexy role, but, wow, what she brought to it, I was really impressed.”
The movie involved the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s, where Julia played a doctor. In addition to an Emmy nomination, – which he ended up winning – the couple were both honored with a Humanitarian Award given by the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN) for their commitment to raise awareness for HIV/AIDS and the LGBTQ community.
“We are proud to recognize Danny Moder and Julia Roberts,” GLSEN said in a statement, “whose inspiring work on HBO’s The Normal Heart has brought renewed attention to an important movement – and an on-going crisis – in LGBT and American history.”
Julia and Daniel have kept their family life fairly private, but aren’t ones to shy away from boasting about each other and how much they love and mean to one another.
They worked together again on the set of the film, Secret in Their Eyes, to which Julia talked to People about loving the experience to continuously work with her husband.
“It was amazing. It was so great. He’s my favorite person on the planet, so I love spending time with him and I love his work ethic,” she said. “His point of view is really valuable to me.”
More recently, Julia talked to E! Last October about what makes their marriage work so well.
“I always say the same thing and I’m sticking with it,” she said. “It’s making out. Lots of making out.”
Julia and Daniel will celebrate 21 years of marriage this July 4th.
Sources:
https://people.com/movies/julia-roberts-danny-moder-relationship-timeline/
usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/pictures/julia-roberts-and-danny-moders-relationship-timeline/
