Bullying that Julia Roberts endured while on the “Steel Magnolias” set was “awful.”

Actress Sally Field said that on the Steel Magnolias set, actress Julia Roberts experienced “awful” bullying. The 77-year-old actress said that director Herbert Ross often “picked on” the then-newcomer, Julia Roberts, who was nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal as the tragic Shelby. Roberts was part of an all-star ensemble for the 1989 picture, which also starred Shirley MacLaine and Dolly Parton. She had to “come to her aid” and “rally around her” throughout production, along with her coworkers.

“Herb was pretty much giving me the freedom to do whatever,” the woman said. However, he was really harsh with Julia. Julia will tell you if you ever speak with her. Since Julia was the youngest among us, we would all gather around her. She was the newbie, in a way. She was amazing, and he was simply making fun of her. It was terrible.

When questioned whether she had experienced the same kind of treatment from Herb, who passed away in 2001 at the age of 74, the Academy Award winner argued that she was a “warrior” in spite of her little height and that such a thing would never have occurred.