BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Sometimes, America's sweetheart can be sour with reporters. But Julia Roberts was warm and witty during a recent media gathering promoting Valentine's Day.
Opening on Friday, the Garry Marshall romantic comedy interweaves multiple relationship stories, all taking place in Los Angeles on that special Feb. 14.
The movie is mostly light and bright, but Roberts has one of the few serious roles, playing a glum U.S. army officer returning from Iraq on a commercial flight to L.A.
The portrayal marks the third time she's joined forces with Marshall. The 42-year-old actress enjoyed her breakout role in Marshall's 1990 smash hit Pretty Woman and worked with him again in 1999's Runaway Bride.
She's not the headliner this time, but she acted like the mistress of ceremonies with Marshall and a gaggle of other famous folks from the film.
They included Ashton Kutcher, Jennifer Garner, Jamie Foxx, Jessica Biel, Shirley MacLaine, Hector Elizondo, Topher Grace, Jessica Alba, George Lopez and Bradley Cooper, who knows Roberts well.
They starred together in Three Days Of Rain on Broadway three years ago. In Valentine's Day, Cooper plays a businessman and seatmate to Roberts' army officer during the flight.
"We just sort of sat down and talked all day," said Cooper, who starred in the The Hangover last year. "I kind of loved it."
In between takes, "We caught up," said Roberts. "We hadn't seen each other for a while, and I grilled him pretty good."
Valentine's Day had other attractions for her. The actress admitted she always says yes to Marshall, but she also enjoyed the tone of his latest movie which showcases movie stars but doesn't emphasize glitz.
"L.A. in the film is just a city," said Roberts. "It's not celebrity centric. You always see it as the backdrop for some kind of other world of glamour.
"But this (Valentine's Day) just reminds that it is a city full of people going through the same kinds of little triumphs and tragedies in their love life as anyone anywhere else in the world."
An added bonus for Roberts was that it was a Pretty Woman reunion of sorts with Marshall, Elizondo - who played the hotel manager with a heart of gold - and some of the crew.
"There were a lot of Pretty Woman people," noted Roberts. "That sounds funny. But we laughed a lot, and talked a lot about how old we've gotten in 20 years."
And how things have changed for Roberts, who is now married to cameraman Daniel Moder and mother of five-year-old twins Hazel Patricia and Phinnaeus Walter and two-year-old Henry Daniel.
Her previous loves didn't work out so well. There were engagements to Dylan McDermott and Kiefer Sutherland, and relationships with Liam Neeson, Matthew Perry and Benjamin Bratt, and a brief marriage to singer Lyle Lovett.
Meanwhile, back at the press gathering, an inquiring mind wanted the panel of actors to talk about a "worst" Valentine's Day.
"Oh, yeah," chimed in Roberts, the unofficial moderator, "you're going to get a lot of takers on that one."
As predicted, never was heard a disparaging word.
Then the veteran MacLaine had a question. She wanted to know how the skinny actresses - Garner, Biel and Alba - managed to stay so svelte and were their diets worth it?
"You girls are slim," agreed Roberts.
"I'm still nursing," offered Garner who has two children - Seraphina, who's 13 months and Violet, 4.
"Are you?" said Roberts. "OK."
When she stops nursing, Garner said, "Then I'll just puff right back up."
"OK, good," said Roberts. "We'll stay tuned for that."
A little later, Roberts responded to an inquiring mind who wanted to know how the actress will be celebrating Cupid's holiday.
"My kids go to bed at 7:30," she said. "So for Valentine's Day? We're just going to be making out - for the whole 24 hours."
Another reporter decided that Roberts might be helpful in suggesting ways to make her boyfriend happy on the upcoming Valentine's Day. Any ideas?
"Wow, can we at least dim the lights?" said Roberts to a roomful of laughter.
"OK, wait a minute," she said. "Are you asking me how to cook something, or ..."
Roberts was told the reporter in question was a poor planner.
"Make a nice dinner reservation - now," Roberts instructed. "Because that's the biggest night out of the year, says the former hostess at Fryman's Seafood Bar and Grill."
And after that, what?
"Have a nice glass of wine and then go home and, you know, take your top off," continued Roberts to more giggling. "I think it's a recipe for success."
Because love's a drug, right?
"Well, it is a drug," said Roberts. "Love, and that feeling, makes us all tingly inside and crazy. So yeah, find that pusher that makes it work."
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