Julia Roberts Talks Eating Entire Pizzas, Gaining Weight For 'Eat, Pray, Love' (VIDEO)

Julia Roberts sat down with Entertainment Tonight's Mark Steines to promote 'Eat, Pray, Love,' out August 13.

When asked whether she does more eating, praying or loving, Julia said, "Love. But you need them all to live. You can't have too much love, but God knows I love to eat."

In the book, Elizabeth Gilbert gained 30 pounds while indulging in pasta and gelato in Italy, and Mark asked Julia about filming the many food scenes, no spit bucket at hand.

"By the time we would cut I'd be done with an entire pizza or a whole bowl of pasta," she said. "The take would just go on and on and I'd love it."

"Did you gain weight?" he asked.

"It became inevitable. I was olympic carbo loading!" Julia said.

Julia told Entertainment Weekly that she only gained 7 to 10 pounds during filming, even through days like this:

"When we were in Naples, we started shooting at 8 in the morning, and I think by 8:45 I'd eaten 8 or 10 pieces of pizza. Pizza was what I ate all day that day," she said.

WATCH:

Comments

[MissAustenRegrets]

05:46 PM on 08/01/2010

Typical Hollywood, in the book the character gains 30 pounds, in the Hollywood version she is a beeg fatt pigg by gaining a mere 7-10 pounds. LOL.

[elatas]

06:51 AM on 08/02/2010

Faved. A world of its own where adding 7-10 pounds is getting overweight.

[Deborah Beck]

05:27 PM on 08/01/2010

I get the feeling that Julia is that neighbor who when they see you slouching at the mall will march up to you and tell you to stand up straight! I like her!

[Riss19]

05:52 AM on 08/01/2010

I can't wait to see this...but I can't wait even more to see The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo....THAT is gonna be AMAZING...and has a main character woman who not only knows about life but is KICK A-S!

[DarleenMB]

10:15 AM on 08/01/2010

Dragon tattoo ... the Swedish version, they made FUNDAMENTAL changes to Lisbeth Salandar's character. I was not impressed. I doubt hollywood will do any better.

[elatas]

11:14 AM on 08/01/2010

Hollywood will make a dull rendition of it. Rent the original Swedish movie. I don't understand why Hollywood has to remake foreigh box office hits. I just read a review of Dinner for Shmucks on CNN and same criticism ie. the French original was meaner and funnier while the US version is insipid and silly.

[sexyrexy]

04:12 AM on 08/02/2010

it happens all the time likewise-- other countries make their own version of Hollywood hits.

[arebee]

02:31 AM on 08/01/2010

Eat Pray Love was a waste of trees. I won't go see the movie because the book was so terrible why would I bother seeing the movie. All you who enjoyed the book, have fun at the movie.

[Leigh49]

10:59 AM on 08/01/2010

I think it's an acquired taste. I think the people who love it are the ones who can identify with it.

[elatas]

12:09 AM on 08/01/2010

I read the book TWICE! I was at the same place as the author and had bought a travel guide to South India a few weeks before reading Eat Pray Love. In the end, I did not go because I couldn't afford it having no job at the time but I lived it through Elizabeth Gilbert's book.

I will see the movie because I loved the book so much but the casting was a let down. For one, I've never seen Julia Roberts showing any angst and vulnerability in any of her movies and there's plenty of it in the book. And I just can't stand that forced laugh of hers anymore. It's like an overused recipe I got bored with many years ago.

[Leigh49]

11:01 AM on 08/01/2010

It also seems that she's a little old to play this part. And she comes off as "Julia Roberts" in many of her movies instead of seeing her as the character.

[mmonarch]

10:36 PM on 07/31/2010

The book club I belong to read Eat, Pray, Love. I got half way through it. Found it to be the diary and travelogue of a self-absorbed woman/child. She begins the book by sitting in the bathroom, on the floor, crying over her poor self. Well, it got her a book deal, I'll give her that. As for Julia, I don't know her, but I am not sure that I would want to. Just a feeling, but then I don't belong to the Oprah fan club either.

[pene]

06:57 PM on 07/31/2010

what I wouldn't give to say "I ate the whole pizza for my art!"

lucky woman. And real pizza, at that...not just tomato paste slathered on bread.

[artistatlarge]

12:51 PM on 07/31/2010

Pizza in Italy is not like pizza in the States. In Italy they look huge - large plate size - but the crust is very thin so the whole pizza is considered a single serving. No big deal to eat the whole thing.

[dlvme2]

12:48 PM on 07/31/2010

Julia seems like a very nice person. Why is it no matter what some celebrity says or does there are those just waiting to trash everything they say? She is being interviewed, she did not pick the questions and if the movie has her eating food there will be a question concerning it and he asked her if she gained. Everyone metabolizes food differently and also she is very active with her work schedule, children and her life in general and she probably does work out some or a lot. Every one gains weight differently and carries it in different ways. She seems to be a lovely person though and I have enjoyed the majority of her movies. She also seems very down to earth and is rarely in the media except when she is having to promote a movie. I like her from what I have seen.

[lola85]

01:35 PM on 08/05/2010

I agree with you. We often hate celebrities for being too "spoiled or too self absorbed or entitled" and then when some seem normal or happy or whatever and that p*i*sses us off as well. We truly are becoming a society where we want to kick you if you're up and kick you if you're down. Which is sad. Sometimes it is OK to like someone, think someone seems genuine, or charming. It's OK. Really it is! She is not making political policies. She is making movies!
Does her life seemed pretty charmed and "easy" relatively speaking? Sure it does. But I bet she's had some struggle--maybe not MY struggle or YOUR struggle but her own. And that is really subjective...what is hard or trying for me, may not be for someone else.

[valeskas]

09:43 AM on 07/31/2010

How big was the pizza???

[llibsetag]

08:50 AM on 07/31/2010

Ooooooo....7 to 10 WHOLE POUNDS from "pigging out" & "carbo loading" for days!

WOW! Julia, babe, you've REALLY let yourself go...

Next up...POWER CLEANSE like Demi!
Stupid. You are NOT over weight by ANY MEANS pre / post movie Juila, so button it up.

[DarleenMB]

10:18 AM on 08/01/2010

Jealous?

[llibsetag]

09:59 PM on 08/01/2010

Missed my point entirely DMB.

Ms Roberts is NOT over weight before or after this movie...AT ALL.

But, being a Hollywood actress & the press junkets one must do to promote a movie, conversations about "putting on the pounds" when is is less than TEN pounds is just stupid.

Besides the AUTHOR gained 30 pounds & didn't talk or lament about it to the press at all.

Talk about the STORY or your ACTING, something interesting...not your mere 7 pound gain because you "totally pigged out on carbs like a crazy women" due to the role.

IF THAT was SO important, then you are 20 pounds short Julia.

P.S. NO I'm NOT jealous, just annoyed & disappointed because I THOUGHT Ms. Roberts was a better actor & person than that.

[Ami Mon]

11:40 AM on 08/01/2010

I sympathize, but also have to say 5 to 7 pounds is significant for someone that is normally fit, however it is just a drop in the bucket for those who are large. So everything is relative. Some people don't let themselves go like most of the population. Just saying.

[maru67]

12:26 AM on 07/31/2010

Hmm, I gain 10 lbs. eating just one slice.

[DarleenMB]

10:18 AM on 08/01/2010

LOL I gain just from LOOKING at it!

[Leviathan21]

12:01 AM on 07/31/2010

Ugh. Is there anything more tiresome than thin, beautiful actresses going on about how much they eat, in an effort to seem more accessible?

[Anthony Dodd]

11:32 PM on 07/30/2010

I've been preparing for a role in that movie most of my life.

[KJLSanDiego]

04:45 PM on 07/31/2010

sounds like you really know how to live!

[chardonnay48]

11:16 PM on 07/30/2010

Oh the horror! She ate.