But Roberts couldn't hold that kind of lofty position with her costars. Their characters are supposed to hold her in low regard -- at least initially. The students see Roberts' character as a working-class girl from California, says Newell, who also directed the 1994 hit comedy Four Weddings And A Funeral. So Roberts strived not to disrupt that dynamic by wielding her star status on the set.

Recalls Dunst: "We'd come on to the set and think, oh, she's Julia Roberts. But she made all of us feel really comfortable around her. She's just a normal woman."

"It's nice to be the oldest one," responds Roberts. "It takes a lot of the pressure off."

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