Julia Roberts Reveals Her 50th Birthday Surprise Was Nearly Ruined

Danny Moder knew just what to get the woman who has everything.

When Julia Roberts turned 50 last October, her cameraman husband pulled off the ultimate birthday surprise by bringing their three young children to San Francisco for a family vacation. Roberts first told the story to Oprah Winfrey in Harper’s Bazaar, but in an exclusive interview with E! News’ Jason Kennedy, the actress revealed new details about their unforgettable day.

To celebrate her milestone birthday, Roberts initially suggested doing something off the grid. So, she and Moder planned to visit a city they had never seen before—without their children. But soon after it began, she was overcome with regret. “A few hours into my birthday, I kind of thought, ‘Huh…How funny. I’m not going to see the kids on my birthday. That feels strange,” Roberts recalled. “But we were still having a great time. We had a new adventure ahead of us.”

Along the way, the couple stopped at one of their favorite surf shops in San Francisco. “We go into the back of the shop and I’m in the bathroom,” she said, setting the scene. “Now, all along the drive, I’m getting texts from friends about the soccer games that are going on, because it was a Saturday. I come out of the bathroom and Danny’s holding this surfboard. He goes, ‘What do you think about this board, babe?’ I go, ‘It’s gorgeous.’ He goes, ‘Yeah? Do you think? The color?’ And then he just moves it and all the kids were hiding behind it. And I was so shocked!”

Needless to say, Moder’s romantic gesture meant the world to Roberts.

“What it meant, ultimately, is that I’m married to the right person who fully and completely understands me,” the Homecoming actress told E! News. “I could not have predicted on my birthday waking up in this beautiful place with my husband…We were having the best time.”

However, Roberts revealed the surprise was nearly ruined. “We stopped at a red light near the store, and [the kids] were on the sidewalk,” he said. “He actually reached over, and he goes, ‘Look at the name of this street!’ I wish I could remember the name, because it was something so pedantic. He goes, ‘Gee, look at that.’ I was like, ‘Yeah…’ He kind of had a good grip on me. I was like, ‘He’s so sweet…This is so strange.’ Because they were like right there outside the car!”

Admittedly, it’s not hard to trick the actress. “I’m very gullible. I don’t know if you’ve noticed,” she laughed, flashing her million-dollar smile. “I pretty much believe everything people tell me!”

Watch the interview to find out more about Roberts’ life as a soccer mom. Plus, get all the details on her upcoming TV series Homecoming, premiering Nov. 2 on Amazon Prime Video.