Julia Roberts praises Crudup, Bardem

Julia Roberts has revealed that it was a pleasure working alongside Billy Crudup and Javier Bardem in Eat Pray Love.

The 42-year-old actress told Teen Hollywood that she’s been a long-time fan of Crudup and enjoyed Bardem’s company on set.

"It's funny because I have to say that Billy Crudup is one of my favourite actors. I've seen him on stage. I've seen him in movies. So one of my concerns with him playing the husband that I leave was I didn't want anybody at that point, that early in the movie, to disconnect from what I was going on to do. I want them to stay with me," she said.

"Billy I think, in a lot of ways, just had the greatest challenge to help create a marriage that you believe in and believe these people had a significant relationship and that it just fell apart in their hands. It was like a magic trick. I don't know how he did it. It was just amazing and so great and fun. The sad part was that then it was over and I had to leave him.

"Javier showed up [in Bali] and it was like deciding to get a puppy. You have everything in your house worked out, like, 'My life is so settled and so fixed up. I will get that puppy.’ Then the puppy comes in and you're like, 'I'm way too tired to have a puppy.’

"He came in with all this gusto and enthusiasm and excitement, like, 'Lets have lunch. Do you want to read some of the scenes and go over some stuff?' Then you realise, 'Oh, wait, no. This is getting good. Yeah, let's have lunch. Let's go over the scenes. Let's look at the stuff.’ His excitement was so contagious."

Roberts recently admitted that she was "terrified' of working with Bardem because she was scared watching his performance in No Country For Old Men.

Eat Pray Love is currently playing in US cinemas, and is released in the UK on September 24.