Julia Roberts: Bali Connection
Aug 9th, 2010, in Society, by Patung
Travelling to Bali brings Hollywood star Julia Roberts to embracing the Hindu religion, possibly.
While filming the movie version of the bestseller “Eat, Pray and Love” in Ubud, Bali, and India, actress Julia Roberts fell in love with the Hindu religion, and soon after converted, now living her life according to ancient Hindu scriptures and practises. She says:
I’m definitely a practising Hindu.
For the movie she also visited Italy for filming, but evidently was left cold by Italian Catholicism, possibly not finding it exotic enough.
Julia in Bali
After her spiritual awakening in Bali and India she now “chants, prays and celebrates” at a local ashram. Her husband, Daniel Moder, and their three offspring who with one non-egregious exception had relatively normal names for the spawn of celebrities, that is: Hazel, Phinnaeus, and Henry; are not being left out of things either, all receiving instruction from a Hindu holy man in the proper way to pray; and possibly including how to eat, but probably not love. It appears as well that they have received Hindu names: Hazel is now known as Laxmi; Henry as Krishna Balram, while Phinnaeus has not seen much improvement, being lumped with Ganesh.
Eat, Pray, Love
Not content with renaming her children Julia has also named her film production company “Red Om Films”.
The star has also adopted the belief in reincarnation and has given some thought on the shape of her next, reincarnated life: antara
Golly, I’ve been so spoiled with my friends and family in this life. Next time I want to be just something quiet and supporting.
While international reports are attributing her conversion to Hinduism almost exclusively to her time in India, doggedly patriotic Indonesian media are emphasising the Bali connection, and so are we.
32 Comments on “Julia Roberts: Bali Connection”
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BrotherMouzone says:
What a crock…
A quick timeline;
Shooting of Eat, Pray, Love – anytime over the last six months/1 year – presumably her spiritual awakening took place at some stage in this shooting process.
US release date of Eat, Pray, Love; 13 August.
Timely release of Julia’s amazing conversion: 8th/9th August.
It’s almost as if some PR monkey told her; “Look Julia, the demand for this movie is looking limited, and the screenings haven’t gone well; it’s a chick flick that even chicks hate. We need to plant some sort of story to gain attention for the opening weekend; would you mind leaving your husband for a dread-locked Balinese beach gigolo? No? Adopting a Balinese orphan? No? Well how about converting to Hinduism? Yeah? Sorted.”
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Hans says:
just so wonderful! Choosing a fine nice old religion. and not a warlike modernity.
Nice and clever woman I think.
can it get any better than this.
hope none of the brave Talibrain makes its own hopes for fame -
Dirk says:
This shows how shallow celebrities are. Their only sources of learning are movie scripts. If Julia Roberts were to act in a movie on atheism, she would have made fun of other religions, as her role would demand.
What worries me is the fact that she drags her children into this folly. This is mental abuse of children. She should not impose her religious beliefs on her children.
Look here : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/the_daily_politics/8469674.stm
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sue says:
I wonder whether she has put her self to the syudra working class or the noble brahmin or better the pariah….LOL
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ET says:
Mark my words. We are about to witness an invasion of middle aged ladies of Anglosaxon stock who, after watching the movie, will flock to Bali to convert en masse. Yoga and meditation classes will flourish, new age bookshops and macrobiotic restaurants will mushroom and the entrepreneurial Balinese will become rich by sitting on the side of the road shouting: TRANSPOT, MASSAAS.
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We are about to witness an invasion of middle aged ladies
Yes think ha ha I love it, wine drunk laides! Jesus I stay in Malang, is´s safer -
Lomboksurfer says:
Who bloody well gives a damn about that bleedin Hollyrottedwood star? Besides bloody Marisa Dumas? And we all know what a bloody pompous, (but bleedin hot one at that) self serving, illusional, dumbstruck, in love with her bloody self that she can be. I swear to the bloody surf gods that bleedin woman drives me? Well bloody well drives me…hahahaha….that’s all……………………..!!!!!!!!!!
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Thanks for that Patrick
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William says:
“while Phinnaeus has not seen much improvement, being lumped with Ganesh.”
I am pretty sure with a name like Phinnaeus, even Ganesh would be a relief.
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Lairedion says:
What worries me is the fact that she drags her children into this folly. This is mental abuse of children. She should not impose her religious beliefs on her children.
The majority of parents impose their religious beliefs on their children. I was born and raised in a Catholic family. Nothing special here.
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Patrick says:
Hi Lairedion (spell checked), now I am totally confused? Why? Because dear boy I believe on several occassions you identified your daddy as a Indonesian Muslim married to your lily white Dutch mom. Did I get that wrong?
2nd While I agree with your statement that the majority of parents impose their religious beliefs on their children, I dont agree necessarily with your premise that this consitutes mental abuse, or that parents should not impose their religious beliefs on their children. Are you being specific to Julia Roberts or are you generalizing this to include everyone?
On a personal note being born and raised Catholic is rather special 🙂
@Patung – This could break into a rather interesting topic.
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realest says:
Julia Roberts didn’t get paid $20 million/movie by being stupid or impulsive. She ain’t even pretty by Hollywood standards and if you’ve watched any of her movies following pretty woman, you would’ve known that she did extensive research on all her roles which is manifested in her acting. I wouldn’t watch a movie about some emo woman getting emancipated if she aint on the cast list, i would watch it because julia plays it. And like Denzel Washington, she would choose her script and the portrayal of her roles carefully because their names are world famous trademarks for quality movies. im sure millions who’ve made their movies blockbusters shares the same view.
I guess lax blogs like these allow superficial ignorant individuals to spew horse sh*t without consideration for weights. -
Realest, a warning: don’t call people here retards just because you disagree with their opinions. I’m going to delete that image you attached to the comment.
Lax: nope, occasionally I miss things, there was an outrageous comment on the Barry Soetoro thread that I did miss recently, but generally no, and anyway, people can give their opinions about some actress, if they don’t like her then big deal. Your opinion is different, fine, but stay within the bounds of politeness when disagreeing with people.
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@David: dude … seriously …. look at those comments. Anyway i dont see any reason why the picture should be deleted unless some pigtail girly decided to fret about it, but heyyy ur the boss 😀
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Patrick,
Hi Lairedion (spell checked), now I am totally confused? Why? Because dear boy I believe on several occassions you identified your daddy as a Indonesian Muslim married to your lily white Dutch mom. Did I get that wrong?
On several occasions I stated my father is Indonesian (Manadonese/Javanese) and my mother is Dutch and I have a Catholic background. I also repeated many times I left the religion in my teens. So yes, you did get it wrong.
2nd While I agree with your statement that the majority of parents impose their religious beliefs on their children, I dont agree necessarily with your premise that this consitutes mental abuse, or that parents should not impose their religious beliefs on their children. Are you being specific to Julia Roberts or are you generalizing this to include everyone?
I was quoting Dirk’s words. I never said a word about mental abuse. Sorry, you did get it wrong again.
How’s your relationship with Marisa Duma, by the way? 😉
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Odinius says:
Well, Bali feels very supernaturally “alive” to a lot of people. I mean, I know practicing Muslims and Catholics from other parts of Indonesia who seem to think the authority of their universal god doesn’t quite apply there. On the other hand, those same people tend to find it all a bit creepy, so I don’t think any of them would decide to convert. Probably hard for most people to imagine devoting that much time to ritual obeisance too.
But hey…you know what? More power to Julia, if it helps her feel like a better person and she’s not forcing her views on anyone else. There’s a lot of nice things about Balinese Hinduism, and my opinion of Julia Roberts is–and I’ll agree with realest here–that she’s relatively genuine and thoughtful member of the Hollywood glitterati…
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@ Lairedion – I stand corrected & thanks for proving me human & therefore capable of the occasional mistake.
Quotes from Dirk? Really did u mention his name in your comment? I must have missed that or perhaps you footnoted it?
Relationship with Marisa Duma? Now that’s a thought sort of like be in a relationship with an adult version of the character Regan from the movie “The Excorcist”. Ha ha ha I bet Marissa can spin her head faster than you can spin a story Lairedion 🙂 -
gembelkuasa says:
Julia is the opposite of the lebowski movie… She embraced hinduism after reading movie script (and acting in it), while Dudeism was invented (or revealed) upon the underrated “The Big Lebowski”… I think it’s a cultural phenomenon… but hey, hollywood is for us to watch….
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@ Patrick
Relationship with Marisa Duma? Now that’s a thought sort of like be in a relationship with an adult version of the character Regan from the movie “The Excorcist”.
Is this the Marisa with the very long toes?
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Patrick, your comment:
Really did u mention his name in your comment? I must have missed that or perhaps you footnoted it?
I used the quotes option in my comment. For most readers that’s sufficient. But to help you out I will start mentioning names.
Patrick, your comment:
Ha ha ha I bet Marissa can spin her head faster than you can spin a story Lairedion
Oh, but didn’t you know she was created as an Internet personality to spin your head out of control? And how she succeeded….
ET, your comment:
Is this the Marisa with the very long toes?
Yup, that’s her.
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Does anything exist in the evening mist/ foes hidden from the light shadows in the twillight/ ashes to ashes dust to dust flashes of.lust/ who am I say again I am I am/ I am hidden deep in the seems of your dreams/ / I am everything you thought to be/ I am everything you sought in me/ Like your hero Nero you fiddle while I am burns/ you yearn to learn the riddle of who I am/ Who am I say again I am I am 😉
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michael says:
Julia Roberts may have embraced Hinduism but that does not mean Bali Hinduism has embraced Julia Roberts. I don’t know about India, but under Indonesian law religious affiliation involves a legal status. Julia Roberts would have had to go through a Sudiwudani ceremony and then register it with the office of Parisada Hindu Dharma to legally convert to Bali Hindu.
Remember the Mick Jagger / Jerry Hall fiasco in which they went through a Bali Hindu marriage ceremony? Mick later claimed the ceremony was invalid because they were not legally Hindu. He was right and he won. The ceremony was illegal.
Anyone can go to temple or meditate or participate in a ceremony in Bali, and it is very pleasant. No criticism meant for Julia Roberts here.
But I anticipate a flood of women in caftans coming to Bali, falling in love, marrying in lovely Hindu ceremonies. And then discovering on some distant unhappy day that they were never legally married at all.
I am just offering this as a sort of heads up warning: it can be useful to recognize that imposing American ideas about religious freedom and personal choice on another country’s culture and laws can lead to major misunderstandings. Simply saying or feeling that your are Hindu in Bali, and actually being legally Hindu, are entirely different issues.
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But I anticipate a flood of women in caftans coming to Bali, falling in love, marrying in lovely Hindu ceremonies. And then discovering on some distant unhappy day that they were never legally married at all.
I agree with the general tenet of your comment.
But Bali never lets you down. There’s always the Kuta Cowboys for comfort. :-;
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Nay says:
Best quote I’ve read about the book and the movie so far:-
I haven’t read the book, but I have researched it to see if I’d like to see the movie. It seems like it is about some slut who isn’t happy with her loving husband who does everything possible to salvage their relationship, but she cheats on him continuously. She then abandons him on goes on a personal, global voyage of gluttony and spiritual awakening, only to find yet another guy to sleep with in the end.
Am I right or totally off-base? If gender-roles were swapped, wouldn’t this get the big stamp of being a vapid movie concerning a man embellishing on childhood fantasies and indulgences and that, well, men are evil?
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Astrajingga says:
Abby Rode, a porn star, is a muslim by conversion.
I sometimes wonder why not so many Indonesian talk about her when they discuss muslim conversion.
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Self-absorbed spending sprees aside, the worst thing about Eat, Pray, Love is the film’s portrayal of its Asian characters. …
http://durkadurkistan.wordpress.com/2010/08/18/eat-pray-love-an-orientalist-joyride/
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I’m definitely a practising Hindu.
I think that is what matters. Who cares if it is legal or not, practicing what one believes is what it counts. Who cares about the rituals and ceremonies, what matters is the teachings. Good for her if what she practices now brings peace to her soul and mind.
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New Age!
Please, not again. -
Winmar says:
I like that durkadurkistan link above!
Personally I can’t imagine ever wanting to see a film called Eat Pray Love. Puke! Sounds like the kind of crap that a certain type of white woman everywhere will love.
Does Julia’s character ever say she needs to “find” herself?
Comment on “Julia Roberts: Bali Connection”.
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One could forgive Indonesians for being so proud of a celebrity conversion — after all, the Roman Catholic leadership, at least in the UK, were over the moon when the Rt. Hon Anthony Blair formally converted as well.
Oh well, at least she did not become a Hare Krishna. That’d be on the same level as Madonna embracing Kabbalah.