When most people think of actor Julia Roberts, they most likely picture her signature movie-star charisma, from her breakout role in Pretty Woman to her Oscar-winning turn in Erin Brockovich. Now, she’s back in the spotlight with Luca Guadagnino‘sAfter the Hunt, which is already generating early awards buzz for the three-time Oscar nominee. But what’s often overlooked is one of her most powerful recent performances, not on the big screen, but on television, in the 2022 Starz limited series Gaslit.
Premiering in 2022, Gaslit reexamines the Watergate scandal through an unexpected lens. Roberts stars as Martha Mitchell, the outspoken and often underestimated wife of then–Attorney General John Mitchell, played by an almost unrecognizable Sean Penn. While history remembers Nixon, Deep Throat, and the “plumbers,” Gaslit reminds us that Martha played a crucial role in exposing the corruption at the heart of the administration. A complex role within a stellar ensemble, Roberts delivers one of the most emotionally rich performances of her career, restoring Martha to her rightful place in history.
Julia Roberts Delivered an Incredibly Powerful Performance as Martha Mitchell in ‘Gaslit’
Based on the Slow Burn podcast’s Watergate season, Gaslit reframes one of America’s most infamous political scandals through an unexpected lens. Rather than centering on Nixon himself, the series focuses on those who were directly affected by the corruption, from aides and spouses, to citizens whose lives were destroyed by proximity to power. At the center is Martha Mitchell (Roberts), an outspoken Southern socialite expected to play the part of the glamorous, silent wife. Her husband, John Mitchell (Penn), was Nixon’s fiercely loyal attorney general, but Martha couldn’t stay quiet about what she saw. Her trademark warmth becomes a double-edged sword as the same charm that once made Martha beloved is now used to discredit her.
As the Watergate break-in and cover-up spiral out of control, Martha becomes one of the few people willing to tell the truth. Her defiance makes her both a liability and a target. Roberts plays her with a rare mix of fire and fragility. At one moment, she’s dazzling guests at a cocktail party and in the next, she’s being drugged and confined in a California hotel room to keep her silent. It’s one of the show’s most harrowing sequences, made unforgettable by Roberts’ raw, terrified performance. What makes her portrayal so powerful is how completely she disappears into the role. The wigs and accent help, but it’s the emotional weight that transforms her.
By grounding Gaslit in Martha’s perspective, the series transforms Watergate from a procedural about political scandal into a human story about gaslighting, isolation and resilience. While Penn,Shea Whigham (as the unhinged G. Gordon Liddy), and Betty Gilpin(as Mo Dean) all give exceptional performances, Roberts provides the show’s beating heart. She reminds us that history’s most explosive moments don’t just belong to the men who try to hide the truth, but to the women who refuse to let it stay buried.
Julia Roberts Believes Martha Mitchell Would Be “Very Popular Today”
One thing many people don’t realize about Martha Mitchell is just how famous she was in her time. In Gaslit, a reporter even noted that she had a staggering 76% name recognition among American families, so much so that some wondered if she was overshadowing Nixon himself. Her candor and Southern charm made her a national sensation, landing her on magazine covers and in headlines across the country. But that same popularity made her dangerous to those in power. They were happy to use her charisma when it suited them, until her outspokenness threatened to expose everything they wanted to hide.
During press for the series in 2022, Roberts shared how much she learned about Mitchell through playing her. She discovered that, despite her poise in public, Martha suffered from severe anxiety about the spotlight, which makes her confidence and composure in those moments all the more remarkable. That struggle led to heavy drinking, something Roberts portrayed with great empathy and restraint. Appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Roberts reflected on how ahead of her time Mitchell truly was. “She would be very popular today,” Roberts remarked, calling her “a pioneer of women speaking their mind.”
In an era when political wives were expected to be glamorous and quiet, Martha was glamorous and loud. She openly criticized the Vietnam War and called out the Nixon administration long before it was safe to do so. Were she alive today, especially in the post–#MeToo era, Martha Mitchell would almost certainly be seen as the hero she was, at least by a certain segment of the American population.
Julia Roberts Is No Stranger to Playing Complicated Women
This isn’t the first time Roberts has brought fire, authenticity, and intelligence to a real-life figure. Her Oscar-winning performance in Erin Brockovich remains one of the defining roles of her career and is a portrait of working-class determination that proved she was far more than a movie star. She brought similar energy to Charlie Wilson’s Waras sharp-tongued Texas socialite Joanne Herring, balancing wit and conviction with ease. And in August: Osage County, Roberts ventured into darker territory, playing a daughter pushed to her breaking point by years of family dysfunction and emotional manipulation. Her performance in Gaslit feels like the culmination of all those roles, showing Roberts’ true range as an actor.
DirectorSam Esmail and creator Robbie Pickering craft a world where power corrodes everything it touches, and Roberts thrives in that tension. Showing every side of Martha, from her glamorous public persona to her private unraveling, allows Roberts to showcase her full range. It’s a masterclass in restraint, and a reminder of why she’s long been one of Hollywood’s most nuanced performers.
Though Gaslit never reached the audience it deserved, its relevance has only grown. Martha Mitchell’s story resonates in the era we’re living in now more than ever. Roberts captures that resonance with stunning precision, turning history into something painfully contemporary. Beneath her movie-star legacy, Gaslit proves that Julia Roberts remains one of Hollywood’s most fearless and truthful actors, still capable of surprising us after all these years.
