Let’s be real here—Julia Roberts starring in a TV series? That’s not something anyone saw coming. Not when you consider her track record. This isn’t just a quick cameo on Friends, Murphy Brown, or Law & Order. Nope, this is a full-on commitment. For her to take on the leading role in Amazon’s original series Homecoming, it had to be something truly extraordinary. And extraordinary it is. What sealed the deal? Well, for starters, Sissy Spacek playing her mom. And then there’s the creative genius behind Mr. Robot, Sam Esmail, who both created and directed the show. Talk about a dream team.

Julia herself says, “Sam is an incredible intellect with a vision so specific, it’s hard not to be drawn in. Coming from the world of film, where there’s typically one director throughout, I wasn’t used to the TV world, where the reins often change hands from episode to episode. But with Homecoming, it felt different. It needed one guiding voice, and that voice was Sam’s.”

Why Julia Roberts Said Yes

Given the complexity of Homecoming, Julia was adamant from the get-go that one person needed to direct all the episodes. And if that person wasn’t Sam Esmail, well, she probably wouldn’t have done the show. “I was clear from the start that I wanted one person to steer the ship,” Julia explains. “Sam’s the one who could do it justice, and I trusted him completely.”

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The show, a psychological drama, plays with time in a fascinating way. It alternates between two distinct timelines—one set in the present, the other four years in the future, in 2022. In the present, Julia’s character, Heidi Bergman, is a caseworker at Homecoming, a facility run by the Geist Group that helps soldiers transition back into civilian life. In the future, she’s working as a waitress and living with her mom. But here’s where things get interesting: a Department of Defense auditor shows up, asking questions about why Heidi left the facility. Suddenly, Heidi realizes there’s a whole other story she’s been ignoring all this time.

Rooted in a Beloved Podcast

Julia’s excitement about the project is also tied to her familiarity with the podcast it’s based on. Created by series writers Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg, the podcast featured Catherine Keener, Oscar Isaac, and David Schwimmer, and it was a hit. “I was hooked from the first episode,” Julia says. “The characters were so rich. Catherine Keener, who played Heidi in the podcast, did an incredible job. I listened to it with the idea of turning it into a TV series. The sound design, the way it painted pictures in your mind—it was all so vivid. Eli and Micah really know this material inside and out.”

homecoming-sam-esmil-julia-roberts — Sam Esmail and Julia Roberts (Photo Credit: Amazon)

A New Era of Production

Another exciting aspect of the production is that Homecoming was the first project to shoot at Universal Studios’ brand-new production facilities near Los Angeles. These state-of-the-art facilities offer incredible flexibility, with two stages joined into one massive 36,110 square-foot space, featuring a 51-foot grid height to accommodate the show’s intricate two-story set.

Julia raves about the set design, saying, “They built it so we could pull off these incredible camera moves. There were days where we shot 11 pages of dialogue in one continuous shot—up and down hallways, down stairs, through conference rooms and cafeterias. It was challenging, but working with Sam has been such a joy. We’re like two peas in a pod. He’s incredibly clear in his direction, and it’s made the process feel almost effortless.”

The Cast: A Stellar Lineup

Joining Julia in the cast is Stephan James as Walter Cruz, a young veteran eager to reintegrate into civilian life, with whom Heidi develops a complex emotional bond. Bobby Cannavale plays her unpredictable offsite supervisor, Colin Belfast, while Alex Karpovsky portrays the facility’s life-skills coach, Craig. Marianne Jean-Baptiste plays Walter’s mom, Gloria, and Jeremy Allen White and Dermot Mulroney round out the cast as Heidi’s ex-boyfriend and a fellow Homecoming veteran.