You Had to Be There: Reliving the Julia Roberts & Kiefer Sutherland Drama of 1990

You Had to Be There: Reliving the Julia Roberts and Kiefer Sutherland Drama of 1990

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re traveling back to the 90s to relive the emotional rollercoaster that was… Kulia? Jiefer? Not every couple name rolls off the tongue.

From Liz and Dick to Brad and Angie, some celebrity couples stick with us long after they break up. Others are confined to a specific decade or, in the case of Julia Roberts and Kiefer Sutherland, a couple of years. People often forget that for a hot second in the early 90s, Roberts and Sutherland weren’t just a celebrity couple. They were the celebrity couple. Unlike Tom and Nicole or Bruce and Demi, though, this pair wouldn’t even make it down the aisle. Although their time together was fleeting, it’s surprising that such a significant pop culture milestone could fade into relative obscurity. We guess you just had to be there, but allow us to set the stage.

Donald’s Son & Eric’s Sister

The year was 1989. One was the son of actor Donald Sutherland. The other, the sister of actor Eric Roberts. Kiefer and Julia were both coming into their own as major stars when they met while shooting “Flatliners” in late 1989. Roberts arrived on set around the same time she finished another movie you might’ve heard of, “Pretty Woman.” At the time, Sutherland was married to Camelia Kath, the widow of guitarist Terry Kath. Roberts had been engaged to her “Steel Magnolias” co-star Dylan McDermott. Yet, it wasn’t long until Roberts and Sutherland were an item. In January 1990, the same month “Flatliners” wrapped, Roberts won a Golden Globe for “Steel Magnolias.” She concluded her speech by thanking “her “blue-eyed, green-eyed best friend,” undoubtedly Sutherland.

Less than a month after Roberts’ Globe win, news broke that Sutherland and Kath had filed for divorce, agreeing to share custody of their daughters (one from Kath’s previous relationship). While Roberts’ Globe win and Oscar nomination for “Steel Magnolias” propelled her to A-lister status, she was about to become America’s Sweetheart. In March 1990, “Pretty Woman” debuted, signifying Roberts’ coronation as movie star royalty. “Flatliners” released that August, the same month Roberts and Sutherland announced their engagement. In January 1991, Roberts found herself accepting another Globe for “Pretty Woman.” Roberts embraced Sutherland before making her way to the stage. This time, she mentioned her fiance by name in her speech. Speaking with Barbara Walters in February, Roberts said that she’d love Sutherland “forever.”

Runaway Bride: Origins

The wedding was set for June 14, 1991. 20th Century Fox’s Soundstage 14 would provide the venue, making this a true Hollywood affair with 150 guests. Roberts’ four bridesmaids picked up their $425 Manolo Blahnik shoes to go with matching seafoam green outfits. Yet, Roberts’ custom-made, $8,000 dress went unclaimed. Three days before the ceremony, Roberts and Sutherland reportedly came to a “mutual decision” to postpone their nuptials. Not long after, the whole thing was called off. Although this came as a shock to many, there had been signs of trouble in paradise. Earlier that year, Sutherland moved out of Roberts’ home, taking up residence at the St. Francis Hotel. Sutherland claimed he was researching a role, although the media speculated otherwise.

Across the street was Sutherland’s favorite pool hall where he allegedly started seeing a go-go dancer named Amanda Rice, aka Raven. Sutherland moved back in with Roberts after three weeks, but the plot thickened when Rice started speaking to the tabloids. Rice claimed that Sutherland called Roberts an “ice princess.” As Sutherland denied having a romantic relationship with Rice, Roberts checked into a hospital for “the flu,” or so her reps said. The wedding was seemingly still on, although another red flag was raised when Sutherland’s bachelor party was suddenly canceled. A cake shaped like a 15-pound turkey had been prepared for the event. The Dominick’s restaurant staff would eat the turkey cake while the four-tier wedding cake that had been ordered was never finished.

Instead of marrying Roberts on June 14, 1991, Sutherland moved out of her Hollywood Hills house. Meanwhile, Roberts was eating a turkey burger at Nowhere Cafe with Jason Patric, Sutherland’s friend and “Lost Boys” co-star. Patric had received an invitation to the wedding, which Sutherland rescinded. Not long after, Roberts and Patric flew from London to Dublin where they stayed at the Shelbourne Hotel. While they got separate rooms, Roberts noticeably wasn’t wearing her engagement ring. All the while, Sutherland headed to his 300-arce Whitefish, Mont. ranch where he was supposed to honeymoon with Roberts. By the end of the year, Roberts and Sutherland were officially over. The two were set to star in a western called “Renegades,” but that project died with their relationship.

Although the media made it sound like the wedding was canceled only a few days in advance, Roberts claimed that it wasn’t so abrupt. Roberts also said that she planned to end the engagement, but Sutherland beat her to it over the phone. As for why things didn’t work out, this is where the rumor mill comes in. Some believe it was due to Sutherland’s relationship with Rice, whom he supposedly did date for a brief period. Others say that it was because Roberts’ career was skyrocketing to the point that Sutherland couldn’t keep up. Sutherland reflected years later, “She was arguably the most famous woman in the world, and this wedding that was supposed to be something between the two of us, became something so big.”

Whatever the reason, the gossip died down until Roberts starred in “Runaway Bride.” The 1999 rom-com reunited Roberts with “Pretty Woman” director Garry Marshall and co-star Richard Gere. Roberts played a woman who has run out on multiple grooms, leading the press to speculate if the film was semi-autobiographical. In reality, the project had been in the works for nearly a decade with Roberts first reading the script years before signing on. Héctor Elizondo said that Sutherland never came up on set “but I’m sure there were some jokes flying around.” Roberts denied that she was playing herself, saying, “To draw parallels to something I think people don’t even pursue the truth about - and at this point is such ancient history - is silly.”

Life Isn’t a Rom-Com

Indeed, Sutherland and Roberts’ relationship felt like ancient history by the turn of the century with both moving on. Professionally, the two had never been doing better. Roberts kicked off 2001 by winning an Oscar for “Erin Brockovich” while Sutherland landed his career-defining role as Jack Bauer on “24.” Behind the scenes, Roberts married country singer Lyle Lovett in 1993. Following a divorce in 1995, she dated actor Benjamin Bratt before marrying cinematographer Daniel Moder in 2002. They’re still together with three children. Sutherland married Elizabeth Kelly Winn in 1996, although they separated three years later with the divorce finalized in 2008. He briefly dated Bo Derek before entering a long-term relationship with model/actress Cindy Vela. The couple has been engaged since 2017.

Sutherland and Patric stopped talking for nearly ten years following the wedding that never was. They reconciled by the 2000s, co-starring in a 2011 production of “That Championship Season,” which Patric’s father Jason Miller wrote. At the time of their split, Roberts said, “I feel like Kiefer, for whatever reasons, tried to make it seem like he was the victim of the situation. I quite honestly believe that Kiefer knows that it’s the best thing for himself and for me that it didn’t happen.” Sutherland seems to share the same mindset now, saying in 2016 that Roberts was “brave” for walking away. Roberts and Sutherland are still big names over 30 years later. Even if their relationship flatlined, their careers didn’t.

Is there another celebrity couple retrospective you’d like to see from us? Make suggestions in the comments.