How Julia Roberts Learned to Navigate Career Criticism: ‘I Had a Lot of Things I Had to Overcome on My Own’

Julia Roberts may be an Oscar-winning actress, but early in her career she struggled to overcome harsh criticism.

“I don’t think I went into my career with a lot of confidence,” Roberts told People Magazine in a recent interview.

Roberts, who made her name as an actress in films such as “Steel Magnolias” and “Pretty Woman,” said that in her early 20s she encountered “some judgmental people who were really cruel.”

“Being insecure can be paralyzing. So if someone embarrassed me, it stopped me,” she recalls. “I was apoplectic, so I learned to navigate it – because this is not an industry to be in if you can’t handle criticism, harshness or being embarrassed.”

Instead of becoming discouraged, Roberts chose to view these situations as an “interesting challenge for me to decide what kind of person I wanted to strive to be,” she told People.

She describes her experience as a young actress as “more obstacles than smooth sailing,” but today she sees past obstacles as opportunities for growth.

“I would think, ‘Okay, there’s a reason why it has to be so hard.’ I now see this as one of the lessons I am most grateful for, because they proved my resilience to myself,” she said.

“I had a lot of things I needed to overcome on my own,” Roberts continued.

Building resilience is “particularly important for young women starting their careers” regardless of industry, according to career and leadership coach Phoebe Gavin.

“We receive a lot of cultural conditioning that makes us very critical of ourselves and very worried about being watched and judged,” says Gavin. “All of these things can bring a lot of insecurity when we enter the workplace.”

No matter how self-confident you are, harsh criticism can feel overwhelming, she says.

If abrasive feedback is affecting your confidence, the most important thing to remember is to “put distance between yourself and the criticism,” says Gavin.

“When you hear people say critical, mean, or cruel things, remember that it’s about them, that it’s a reflection of who they are. It’s not necessarily a reflection of who you are,” she says.

Instead of internalizing the unkind words of others, “think out loud in your mind about the things that make you valuable and what you are bringing to the table,” says Gavin.

There can be a “kernel of truth” in some criticism, according to Gavin: “Sometimes helpful feedback can come in really ugly packaging,” she says.

If this is the case, Gavin recommends taking some time to reflect on your actions and what you can change in the future.

“Instead of internalizing it as something that is permanently true about you forever, find the places where you have agency to make positive changes in yourself or the way you work,” she says.

Still, if your workplace is harming your mental health, “it’s okay if you decide for yourself that being in that kind of environment isn’t right for you,” says Gavin.

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