Julia Roberts leads star-studded Paul Newman tribute

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Marie Claire Celebrity News: Julia Roberts and Bruce Willis

Julia Roberts was at the forefront of an emotional tribute to the late legend Paul Newman last night.

The Oscar-winning actress joined Bruce Willis, Jack Nicholson, Sean Penn and Tom Hanks on stage for a reading of The World of Nick Adams in San Francisco at a charity event organised by Paul Newman himself.

The annual fundraiser benefits The Painted Turtle, a camp for children with life-threatening illnesses started by Newman in 1999.

‘We expected Paul to be with us and so this kind of turned into kind of a tribute,’ said Danny Glover, who joined the other big names and the children on-stage for the reading.

Julia Roberts said: ‘This is the first time we are doing this without Paul — there is a void there, without a doubt.’  

She added: ‘This is more sweet than bitter. We are all here for him.’

Over 2,500 people attended the benefit, which began with a video in which Newman discussed his work with the Association of Hole in The Wall Camps, which runs 11 camps around the world, including The Painted Turtle.

Newman, who died of lung cancer at the age of 83 and who raised over $250 million for charity over his lifetime, said of his work: ‘What I was trying to do was acknowledge luck.

‘If you acknowledge it, you have to do something about it — something for the less fortunate.’

And Tom Hanks, who starred with Newman in 2002’s Road to Perdition, sung his praises. He said: ‘Paul was a member of the ensemble more than anything else.

‘He was as big, bigger than life.

‘He sort of taught us all how to do this, how to be in the business and live up to the responsibilities and pull our weight.’

He added: ‘He didn't care about the hierarchy, but he was a guy, quite frankly, who should have won the Nobel Peace Prize.’