Julia Roberts Her next film was the commercially successful thriller "Sleeping with the Enemy" (1991), in which she took on the role of a battered wife who escapes her abusive husband, played by Patrick Bergin, and begins a new life in Iowa. Roberts played Tinkerbell in Steven Spielberg's "Hook", and starred as a nurse in Joel Schumacher's romance film "Dying Young"; both films were also released in 1991, to a highly positive commercial response. Roberts took a two-year hiatus from the screen, during which she made no films other than a cameo appearance in Robert Altman's "The Player" (1992). In early 1993,
Julia Roberts "only funny in spurts." A commercial success, it grossed over US$138 million worldwide, however. In fall 2001, Roberts teamed with "Erin Brockovich" director Steven Soderbergh for "Ocean's Eleven", a comedy-crime caper film and remake of the 1960 Rat Pack film of the same name, featuring an ensemble cast including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon. Roberts played Tess Ocean, the ex-wife of leader Danny Ocean (Clooney), originally played by Angie Dickinson, who is dating a casino owner played by Andy García. In preparation for her role, Roberts studied Dickinson's performance by watching the original film at least seven times