Hollywood loves a good catfight. We’re practically programmed to expect it. If two massive female stars share a marquee, the tabloids start sharpening their knives before the first trailer even drops. This was never truer than in 1998 when Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts teamed up for the quintessential tear-jerker, Stepmom.
Rumors of "diva behavior" and "icy sets" were everywhere. People whispered that the two couldn't stand to be in the same room. But honestly? The truth is way weirder than the fiction. It turns out the drama wasn't coming from the actors. It was coming from the very people paid to protect them.
The Manufactured Feud That Fooled Everyone
For nearly twenty years, the narrative was set in stone. Sarandon was the veteran, the "serious" Oscar winner. Roberts was the "Pretty Woman," the box-office queen with the million-dollar smile. The press painted them as oil and water. They claimed Susan was resentful of Julia’s paycheck, or that Julia found Susan too "political" on set.
In 2017, Susan Sarandon finally blew the lid off the whole thing. She took to Twitter—now X—and revealed something pretty wild.
"Press printed that Julia & I hated each other during Stepmom. Found out it was my PR person creating rumors."
Let that sink in for a second. Her own publicist was planting fake stories about a feud just to drum up interest in the movie. It’s a classic Hollywood tactic, really. If you can’t sell the movie on the plot alone, sell the "war" between the stars. Sarandon even joked that she and Julia were hoping people would at least rumor they were sleeping together, because that would have been "delicious cocktail-party fodder." Instead, they got the boring "two women fighting" trope.
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Why Stepmom Still Hits Different in 2026
If you haven't watched Stepmom lately, you're missing out on some of the most nuanced acting of that decade. It's not just a "weepy." It’s a case study in how two people who have every reason to hate each other find a way to co-exist for the sake of two kids.
Susan plays Jackie, the "perfect" mother who’s just been handed a terminal cancer diagnosis. Julia is Isabel, the young, career-driven photographer who is suddenly thrust into the role of parenting Jackie’s children.
The chemistry works because it is uncomfortable.
The "Aint No Mountain High Enough" Moment
Most people remember the scene where they’re dancing in the kitchen. It’s iconic. But the real meat of their performance is in the quiet, brutal conversations. There's a scene at a restaurant where Jackie tells Isabel, "I have their past, and you can have their future."
It’s heartbreaking.
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And it’s something you can’t fake. If these two actually hated each other, those scenes would feel brittle. Instead, they feel like two professionals leaning into the complexity of their roles.
Dealing with the "Diva" Labels
Julia Roberts has spent her whole career dodging the "difficult" label. Every time she isn't smiling 24/7, a story comes out. During the filming of Stepmom, there were reports that she was "ferried back to her trailer" while Susan was out talking to the kids and the crew.
Maybe that happened.
But does that mean they were feuding? Probably not. It usually just means one person is an extrovert and the other needs ten minutes of silence so they don't lose their mind. Sarandon has always been vocal about her respect for Julia. She pointed out the blatant sexism in the industry: "If you make a movie with a male star, everyone assumes you're f---ing. If it's a female star, everyone assumes you're fighting."
The Legacy of the "Real" Relationship
The most interesting part of the Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts story is how they’ve handled their careers since then. Both have stayed relevant in an industry that notoriously tosses women aside the second they turn forty.
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- Susan Sarandon (now 79) continues to be a firebrand, taking on roles that challenge the status quo and staying active in political activism.
- Julia Roberts (now 58) has transitioned into a "prestige" era, picking and choosing projects that matter, like her recent work in Leave the World Behind.
They aren't "besties" who go to brunch every Sunday, but they are allies. When Susan did the show Feud (playing Bette Davis), she used the press tour as an opportunity to set the record straight about her own history. She wasn't going to let the industry pit her against Jessica Lange the way it did with Julia.
What Most People Get Wrong
Most people think that for a "feud" to be over, there has to be some big, public reconciliation. But there was nothing to reconcile. They were just two coworkers who did their jobs, did them well, and then went home to their real lives.
How to Apply the "Stepmom" Logic to Your Life
Honestly, we can all learn something from the way these two navigated the circus.
- Question the Source: If you hear that two people in your office or friend group are "at war," check who told you. Is it the person with the most to gain from the drama?
- Professionalism Over Everything: You don't have to be best friends with everyone you work with. You just have to respect the work they do.
- Call Out the Tropes: If you see women being pitted against each other for no reason, say something. The "catfight" narrative is ancient and exhausting.
The next time you’re scrolling through Netflix and see the thumbnail for Stepmom, give it a rewatch. Look past the 90s fashion and the John Williams score. Watch the way Sarandon and Roberts look at each other in that final scene. That’s not the look of two people who hate each other. That’s the look of two masters of their craft who knew they were making something that would outlast the gossip.
To dive deeper into Hollywood's history of manufactured drama, look into the production of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? or read Susan Sarandon’s 2017 interviews regarding the FX series Feud. Seeing how the "rivalry" playbook hasn't changed in fifty years is pretty eye-opening.
Actionable Insight: If you're currently in a high-tension situation with a "rival," try the Sarandon approach. Shift the focus from the personality conflict to the shared goal. In Stepmom, the goal was the well-being of the children. In your life, find the "kids" (the project, the family, the mission) and focus there. The noise will eventually fade away.