Hollywood legend Julia Roberts briefly visited Prague late last week, where she drew attention after Photographs posted to social media by her longtime bodyguard confirmed several stops across the city—and hinted at a short, undisclosed filming project.
The Hollywood actress, in town for only a few days, moved through central Prague largely unnoticed, dressed in a winter jacket, hat, and glasses. Czech tabloid outlets published street photos of the actress browsing shops near Old Town Square.
Photos posted to Instagram by Roberts’ bodyguard Gay Cobham, meanwhile, hinted at a quick shoot in the Czech capital in addition to touring Prague’s city center. Cobham showcased a production trailer along with a message thanking local industry members for “quick work” and “amazing people.”
Additional photos posted by Cobham place Roberts at several key locations across Prague, including Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, and the Old Town Square Christmas Market, before her departure on Friday.
Sightings across Prague’s historic center
Roberts arrived in Prague earlier in the week and kept a low profile while moving through the city’s busiest holiday areas. Going by publicly shared images, she walked across Charles Bridge at night, visited the Prague Castle complex, and spent part of Thursday in the streets around Old Town Square, where Christmas market stalls had recently opened for the season.
Local media reported that Roberts went largely unrecognized during her walk through the city center, aided by her casual winter clothing and minimal appearance. Photos from Czech outlets show her entering several small shops, including a specialty absinthe store and a candy shop, before stopping briefly at a café.
Cobham, vice president of global security firm Screen International Security Services and Roberts’ longtime personal bodyguard, posted a series of photos confirming the locations. The images provide the clearest timeline of her movements: an evening walk across Charles Bridge, stops in Old Town and at the Christmas Market, and a night view from the Castle grounds.
Brief production work remains undisclosed
What Roberts filmed in Prague remains unclear. A cameo for the two major Hollywood projects currently filming in Prague—Zach Cregger‘s Resident Evil and Netflix’s The Age of Innocence—seems unlikely. A brief shoot for an advertisement—Roberts is a global ambassador for major brands such as Lancôme and Chopard—would be more plausible.
Roberts was accompanied in Prague by longtime makeup artist Genevieve Herr, whose presence, noted on social media, typically signals a professional engagement. Herr has worked with Roberts for more than two decades, primarily during major film or commercial shoots.
Czech outlets initially speculated that Roberts had traveled to Prague solely for a holiday visit, but subsequent reporting suggested she may have been filming material for a global commercial campaign. Her stay lasted only a few days, consistent with commercial production schedules conducted in Prague.
Despite her lengthy Hollywood career, Julia Roberts has not previously filmed in Prague (at least for film or TV). She did serve as a producer on White Bird, a World War II–set film starring Gillian Anderson and Helen Mirren that shot extensively in Prague, Liberec, and other Czech locations.
On Friday afternoon, Roberts departed Prague by private flight from Václav Havel Airport’s Terminal 3, according to social media posts from Czech journalist Luboš Procházka, who photographed her before takeoff. Flight data posted online showed a route to Braunschweig-Wolfsburg Airport in Germany, a hub commonly used for business and charter flights.
Whether her Prague shoot was for a commercial or an early-stage film assignment remains unknown, but the visit marked another instance of a major Hollywood figure working—even briefly—in the Czech capital.
Lead photo: Julia Roberts at Cannes in 2016, Prague Christmas Market courtesy Depositphotos.com / Montage by Prague Reporter