Elizabeth Gilbert Still Hasn’t ‘Digested’ That Julia Roberts Played Her in ‘Eat, Pray, Love’

Author Elizabeth Gilbert is finally opening up about her reaction to Julia Roberts starring in the film adaptation of Eat, Pray, Love.

The 49-year-old writer recently appeared on an episode of Dax Shepard’s podcast, Armchair Expert, where she revealed that she has yet to process Roberts’s involvement.

“When people ask me, ‘What’s it like to have Julia Roberts play you in a movie?’ My answer that I truly give is I still have not digested that,” she said on the podcast.

Gilbert went on to say that she has no intention of coming to terms with it, adding, “And, in fact, I’m not even going to try. Because I don’t know how to digest that in a healthy way.”

The 2006 memoir follows a newly divorced Gilbert as she steps out of her comfort zone to travel the world. Four years later, director Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story) adapted the best-seller for the big screen. In addition to Roberts, the movie also starred Javier Bardem, James Franco, Richard Jenkins, Viola Davis and Billy Crudup.

Gilbert is also the author of Pilgrims, Stern Men, The Signature of All Things, The Last American Man, Committed, Big Magic and her latest novel, City of Girls.

While discussing the success of Eat, Pray, Love, Gilbert admitted that it all seems very surreal to this day. “It was tricky to navigate,” she said. “It was a puzzle to figure out how to navigate it without letting it undo me.”

Don’t worry, Elizabeth. If Eat, Pray, Love taught us anything, it’s to take deep breaths and eat lots of pasta, and everything will be OK.