JULIA’S DESPERATE MOVE to Keep Danny at Home
Julia Roberts pays a fortune to bolster her marriage to
Julia Roberts already owns two homes in Malibu. Her family's main home is a $10 million Craftsman-style house atop a bluff in the seaside enclave’s tony Point Dume neighborhood. Then in January 2016, she bought the $6.84 million house directly across the street, which was meant to house nannies and visiting family — but as In Touch previously reported, it soon turned into a refuge for her cinematographer husband, Danny Moder, especially when they weren’t getting along. Finally in June, Julia, 49, shelled out $3.9 million for a 1,600-squarefoot ranch house just down the road that a friend says “is basically a tear-down.”
She’s not trying to only bolster her real estate portfolio. The new property comes with a deeded key to the gates leading to one of Malibu’s best, most idyllic and private surf spots, known as Little Dume — the perfect gift for her husband. “She’s hoping that the purchase of the most expensive surf shack in Malibu will help her marriage by keeping Danny from going away on extended surf trips,” the friend tells In Touch. It’s a unique move, adds the pal, but after 15 years of marriage and with her 50th birthday in October approaching, “Julia is hoping that by giving Danny his own incredible surf spot, it will stave off any talk of divorce.”
The last few years have been rough. They’ve fought bitterly over Julia’s controlling ways, their different approaches to parenting, Danny’s trips away and his desire to be the man of the house despite being in Julia’s shadow, explains the friend. “When they first married, Julia was gone a lot for work, and it was like a honeymoon every time she and Danny were reunited.” But with their kids, Henry, 10, and twins Hazel and Phinnaeus, 12, now in school, Julia — who just signed on to star in the HBO drama Today Will Be Different — has cut down on filming away from home and expects Danny, 48, to do the same. But “Danny often wants to get away,” says the friend. “Plain and simple, they just aren’t as happy as they once were, and she thinks the new house” will help.
She’ll pay any price to save their marriage. “Julia has the funds to go to great lengths to do it, and buying the new property is a prime example of how far she’ll go,” says the friend. But her plan could backfire. “He doesn’t want to feel like a kept man,” says a friend. “If he feels he’s being controlled or manipulated, it will only push him further away. He’s been emasculated enough over the years as Mr. Julia Roberts.”
And his wanderlust won’t go away. “As beautiful as Little Dume is, riding the same waves can get monotonous, so the novelty will probably be shortlived and he’ll still have an itch to go to exotic location with his waveriding buddies,” warns the friend. “No matter how desperately she tries, Danny won’t be bought off — even with his own beach!” ◼