Julia Roberts has given a definitive answer to a big ending question from the Denzel Washington thriller The Pelican Brief. The film follows Roberts’ Darby Shaw, who is targeted by killers after giving a briefing about the assassination of two Supreme Court members. She is aided in her escape by Washington’s Gray Grantham, who helps her uncover the mystery behind her targeting – and how they can both get out alive.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Roberts confirmed that, at the end of The Pelican Brief, Darby and Gray are dating one another. Speaking about the underrated Washington performance, the actor confirmed their characters were in love with one another by the end of the movie. Check out what Roberts had to say below:
To me, the end of the movie, they’re absolutely together. They’re watching TV. She’s watching him on TV. Yeah. And then the journalist says, ‘Well, your source seems too good to be true.’ And he says, in a way that only Denzel can, ‘She just might be.’ And then in slow motion, I put my head down with my cheeks pink, and that says it all to me. I think he’s in love with her. She’s in love with him.
How Denzel Washington & Julia Roberts’ Careers Evolved After The Pelican Brief
Since their time in The Pelican Brief, both Roberts and Washington have had extensive careers in a variety of different film roles. Roberts is best known for her roles in comedies and dramas, with some of her most notable roles being in Ocean’s Eleven and Valentine’s Day. Recently, she’s starred in more dramatic roles, with her newest film being Netflix’s Leave the World Behind, which she starred in opposite Ethan Hawke and Mahershala Ali.
As for Washington, he has since gravitated toward similar thriller roles, as well as multiple action films in recent years. He is notable for having portrayed Robert McCall in The Equalizer trilogy, but has also starred in dramas like Fences and The Tragedy of Macbeth. His next role will be in Ridley Scott’s upcoming Gladiator 2, serving as a direct sequel to the 2000 film.
Given the harrowing journey the actors’ characters went on in The Pelican Brief, Roberts’ revelation about their relationship by the end of the movie isn’t too surprising. Now that their characters’ ending has been clarified, it adds a new layer of conclusion to the story. Beyond its fictional world, though, the film also helped bolster her and Washington as actors, as proven by their extensive acting roles since.
