Julia Roberts, whose twins just turned 19(!!!), is busy promoting her new movie, Leave the World Behind. In the movie, which co-stars Mahershala Ali and Ethan Hawke, Julia plays a Karen-type character. Leave the World Behind is based on a book with the same title by Rumaan Alam. The plot involves a family going on a vacation to Long Island that gets interrupted by two strangers bringing news of a mysterious blackout. Hawke plays Roberts’ husband and Ali plays the owner of their fancy vacay rental.
In an interview with Extra’s Adam Glassman, Julia and Mahershala talked about how much we’re all dependent on technology. During their chat, Glassman asked the actors what they miss the most about the world pre-iPhones and iPads. Julia gave an answer that’s so darn relatable, it’s like we’re finishing each other’s sandwiches.
Glassman: “We’ve all become very dependent on technology. What do you miss about the world when we didn’t have to keep looking at our phones and iPads from years past?
Roberts: “I miss when you couldn’t get ahold of people, or they couldn’t get ahold of you. Not only just that period, but then I think of a family coming together at the end of the day and you actually have things to talk about at dinner because you haven’t been in contact all day long a hundred times… or a busy signal.”
Ali: “I miss the feeling of boredom. You should never be bored, really… I do think that as a reaction to the feeling of boredom you grab your phone and start scrolling… Then you just never have to sit with that and come up with a thought or an idea or think something over because you can so easily look at something else.”
Glassman: So, what is more frightening… being stuck in the house with no devices or the world ending?
Roberts: “I would always rather be stuck in the house with kids and no devices. That sounds like a good time to me.”
Glassman: “How dependent are your kids on their devices?”
Roberts: “I don’t think of them as dependent on their devices… We have never had an issue with that. I think we can all spend less time on our phones, on our computers. I am guilty of playing too many New York Times crossword puzzles in a day… A little self-monitoring of it.”
Julia, same, girl, same. I turn my phone on DnD a lot. I get this weird anxiety about having to engage in any sort of phone or text conversation with anyone who isn’t Mr. Rosie. It’s funny because I’m actually quite extroverted in real life! I can’t imagine I’m the only one who feels like the phone is a chore. However, I met a lot of the friends I have today thanks to technology making the world a little bit smaller, so I’m grateful for it in that aspect. And yes, this whole topic has Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” playing on repeat in my head right now.
Oh, and one more thing! As someone who was 19-years-old and home alone on Long Island during the East Coast blackout in 2003, this movie definitely has my attention. Okay, if I’m being honest, I wasn’t really home alone. I threw a party because my parents took my younger sisters to an out-of-state soccer tournament and had my high school and college friends partying at my house when the power went out. Everyone was already going to stay the night, but the blackout made it pretty damn epic. Leave the World Behind will stream on Netflix starting on Friday, December 8.
Photos credit: JoJo Whilden/Netflix, IMAGO/Barbara Hine/Avalon, Christian Lora/Image Press Agency/Avalon, IMAGO/Steve Vas / Avalon
I actually don’t mind the endless scrolling. With severe anxiety, it has the opposite effect on me. As long as I stay on booktok or receipetok, they save my mind from the endless thoughts that plague me when I have time to sit and think.
I refuse to be always available. I have a landline and have given the number to only three people. If it rings, I know it is a call I should answer. Call or text my cellphone? I’ll get back to you within 24 hours.
Same. Except we don’t have a landline lmao.
Same. I don’t understand why more people don’t have a “my phone is for MY convenience not your’s” policy.
I don’t answer calls/texts if I don’t want to and I return calls/texts when I get to them. Also, the mute function gets used all the time.
And I currently don’t have a landline. When I move I’ll probably get one since I’ll be living alone but for now, it’s not necessary.
Speaking as someone who just received a text this morning claiming I went “off the grid” because I didn’t reply to the family group chat for 24 hours, hard same, Julia.
Never a truer statement. Honest to god, last October my parents had a wellness check done on me because I went to bed with the cell phone ringer off and had the audacity to leave my phone in the living room, not next to me in the bedroom. Mind you, I’m in my fifties and led the most Gen-X free range childhood-young adulthood ever (can we say partied like a rock star in Tijuana 1987) and now my parents think I’ve been murdered because I’m not answering my phone within 4 hours of their call/text!
Back to the night of the wellness check My Labrador retriever who sleeps with me, woke me up by barking and growling insanely as if the house were on fire. From under the closed bedroom door, I could see a light sweeping the living room and thought WTF? Got up and didn’t see anything but the dog was still going nuts. Let him out the back door and he charged at a policeman coming around the corner of the house into my backyard. I was like what are you doing???? He explained they had been called to do a wellness check and to please get ahold of my family. Mortified!!!! Not to mention, my dog could have been shot. I don’t live my life in fear so I don’t have a ring camera, gun or a door bell. I should get a doorbell installed and I always answer texts from my newly hyper vigilant parents.
Yep.
When I leave for work I turn my phone off silent mode- then it goes right back on silent mode and onto the charger by the door until the next day.
I can’t even with the constant contact people feel entitled to.