Julia Roberts thinks we didn't fully appreciate the rom-coms of yesteryear

Julia Roberts knows a thing or two about romantic comedies.

The star of Notting Hill, Pretty Woman, and My Best Friend's Wedding, among other classics, will next executive produce and act in Ticket to Paradise. The film, costarring George Clooney, was the first script that resonated for Roberts in a long time — and she wishes we appreciated rom-coms during its renaissance in the '90s a lot more.

"I think we didn't appreciate the bumper crop of romantic comedies that we had then," the rom-com queen said in a New York Times interview with Clooney published Monday. "You don't see all the effort and puppet strings because it's fun and sweet and people are laughing and kissing and being mischievous."

Everett Collection Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant in 'Notting Hill'

Roberts said, "This is a genre that I love to participate in and watch, and I think they are hard to get right. There is a really simple math to it, but how do you make it special? How do you keep people interested when you can kind of predict what is coming?" Her costar, on the other hand, hadn't starred in a rom-com since 1996's One Fine Day.

Clooney noted he felt like he hadn't yet mastered the genre like Roberts — but the script was so clearly intended for him and his costar, so he was ready to commit. "They sent me the script, and it was clearly written for Julia and I," he said. "In fact, the characters' names were originally Georgia and Julian. I hadn't really done a romantic comedy since One Fine Day — I haven't succeeded like Julia has in that forum — but I read it and thought, "Well, if Jules is up for it, I think this could be fun."

The upcoming rom-com directed by Ol Parker (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Imagine Me and You) follows Roberts and Clooney (both producers on the film) as a divorced couple that reunites to stop their daughter (Kaitlyn Dever) from marrying a seaweed farmer (Maxime Bouttier) she met during a graduation trip to Bali. Old sparks fly as the estranged exes team up to halt the nuptials.

Theo Wargo/Getty Images Julia Roberts thinks we didn't fully appreciate the rom-coms of yesteryear

Ticket to Paradise is in theaters Oct. 21. Watch the trailer above.

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