Though she went by the nickname "Julie" before hitting stardom, Roberts changed her name to its formal version when...

• After seeing a character named Julia in Two Gentlemen of Verona she felt that the formal version was more stageworthy.
• An agent told her "Julia" was more professional.
• Donald Petrie, the director of Mystic Pizza, kept calling her "Julia" on set and she was too nervous to correct him.
• She discovered another actress was named Julie Roberts.