• April 30, 2001
• Vol. 55
• No. 17

Julia's Pride

Taking a Bow in Blow, Emma Roberts Follows in Her Famous Aunt's Footsteps

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From PEOPLE Magazine

Oh, the perils of period films. Playing Johnny Depp's daughter in the drug drama Blow, "I wore these hideous outfits, 'cause it was the '80s," says Emma Roberts, 10. "I'd wear little dresses that pouf out, and my hair would be on the side of my head, all curly. How could people dress like that?" Still, the junior fashionista approved of one dress from that dreaded decade: Consulted by Aunt Julia Roberts about her Oscars gown, Emma gave the 1982 Valentino the thumbs-up.

Now Emma, the daughter of Julia's brother actor Eric Roberts and his ex-girlfriend Kelly Cunningham, is proving she inherited acting chops as well as style. "When she was maybe 4, she was walking around the house doing English accents well," says Eric, 45. Emma persuaded her mother to let her go on the Blow audition, her first. "I thought it would pacify her, and she got the job," marvels Cunningham, 42, who split with Eric several months after Emma was born and is now engaged to L.A. Guns bass player Kelly Nickels. The fourth grader "was never intimidated" by tough scenes, says director Ted Demme. "I see an enormous future for her." Even so, Emma knows her aunt's pumps are big shoes to fill. "I wish I could act as good as her," she says, "but I just do my best."