Julia Roberts: ‘I Wanted to Be a Vet’
Actress prefers animals
Julia Roberts wanted to be a veterinarian when she was growing up.
“I wanted to be a vet,” she told New Zealand’s TVNZ. “I wanted to be a veterinarian, but then I discovered how hard science can be.”
Her close family were all actors , so that’s the way she went. But the animal bug has never left her.
Ten years ago, Julia spent several weeks living among the nomads of Mongolia and discovering their special relationship with the wild horse for a PBS special. She says she took the assignment because of her own passion for horses.
Mongolia is home to the only true wild horses known to still exist. Julia lived with a nomadic family, in a one-room transportable “ger,” with no bathroom, no running water, and no heat, just getting absorbed into the daily routine of nomadic life, playing with the children, and being with the family.
“For these horses to just be allowed to roam around and they don’t take off and leave …is kind of amazing,” she said. “Everywhere in America, you see animals and you also see fences. Here it’s really about the love and respect that man gives to the animal that they all stay together.”
Unlike other Hollywood celebs, she really does seem to be the real thing. (Compare our story, last week, about Brooke Shields whose “love” for animals turns out to be about wearing them as fur coats.)
Julia is also passionate about the environment. “It’s probably my greatest concern, besides my babies,” she told Stylist magazine. My husband and I spend most of the year away from Hollywood. We support Heal The Bay, a non-profit organization dedicated to keeping Southern California’s coastal waters clean. I also drive a biodiesel car and we compost everything. It’s a big commitment with three kids, but there’s so much valuable waste, you sort of have to.”