Why Julia Roberts won't ever join niece Emma on American Horror Story

Julia Roberts has strong ties to FX’s American Horror Story: her niece Emma Roberts is one of the stars and good friend Ryan Murphy, who directed Julia in Eat Pray Love and The Normal Heart, is one of the co-creators.

But the Oscar-winner says it’s not in the cards for her. Explains Roberts, “You know everybody divides the world into two groups? My two groups are people that like to be scared and people who don’t like to be scared. The first season of American Horror Story came out and the way that I took my kids to school then, there was a traffic light that I always hit red and there was a poster for American Horror Story right at that traffic light. I called Ryan and I said, ‘I’m just going to tell you right now — I don’t think I can watch your show. I can’t support you. I don’t think I can do it.’ He goes, ‘Lady, you won’t get through the commercial.’ Okay, that’s a good friend. Someone who really knows me and so of course I would never watch that.”

“And then Emma’s on it and I say, ‘Emma, sweetheart, I don’t think I can watch this show that you’re in.’ And she goes, ‘Auntie, I was in this toy box at the end of this bed and they pulled my arm off.’ I go, ‘Okay. You just have to stop talking. I can’t handle it.’ So that is off the table for me. I don’t watch things like that.”

For more on Julia Roberts, pick up the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, or buy your choice of two covers online: Julia in blue or Julia in black and white. Don’t forget to subscribe for more exclusive interviews and photos, only in EW.Related content:

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