Julia Roberts admits she's a stricter parent after playing junkie's mother in new movie

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Oscar buzz for Julia Roberts

Actress Julia Roberts plays a mother fighting to save her son from addiction in the heartbreaking family drama 'Ben Is Back.'

Julia Roberts' latest role had a large impact on the actress.

The Oscar winner believes that playing the mother of a teenage junkie in the movie "Ben Is Back" was not only one of her most challenging characters to embody to date, but it also affected her family life in ways she didn't expect.

She admitted it made her stricter parent to her and husband Danny Moder's 14-year-old twins Hazel and Finn, and son Henry, 11.

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In an interview with The Sun, the 51-year-old admitted she's "very careful about turning the TV on."

“It’s interesting trying to raise kids in this day because it’s all so new — the pressures, the resources, having the world in your hand like that," Roberts added. “I try to keep them off social media because I don’t really understand what they need that for right now.”

The movie's intense subject matter also informed her about drugs and the pressures of teenage life.

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“I’m a strict mom, I don’t really lose my temper, but I think it’s important that children know their boundaries," she said about raising kids and being a part of Hollywood. "If something happens I don’t really punish them, I prefer to have conversations with them. I think my serious face is punishment enough."

A quiet and normal family life is important to Roberts, and she said she works hard at maintaining a balance. Her kids do regular chores like making their beds and doing laundry because those are "important life skills."

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“Wanting to keep our family intact is something my husband and I . . . it’s always been a priority. For two people in show business, it’s amazing. We’ve only worked at the same time, separately, once," she said.

Roberts and Moder celebrated 16 years of marriage in July.