Movies Emma Roberts calls working with aunt Julia Roberts' former costar Richard Gere a 'full circle' moment The star also says "it just made so much sense" that Gere would play her father in the upcoming romantic comedy, Maybe I Do. By Lauren Huff Lauren Huff Lauren Huff is a writer at Entertainment Weekly with over a decade of experience covering all facets of the entertainment industry. After graduating with honors from the University of Texas at Austin (Hook 'em, Horns!), Lauren wrote about film, television, awards season, music, and more for the likes of The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline Hollywood, Us Weekly, Awards Circuit, and others before landing at EW in May 2019. EW's editorial guidelines Published on January 19, 2023 09:29PM EST History has a way of repeating itself, and this is especially true in Hollywood. In the case of upcoming rom-com Maybe I Do, the whiff of déjà vu comes from the fact that Emma Roberts, daughter of actor Eric Roberts and niece of Julia Roberts, is starring alongside Richard Gere. Gere, of course, made not one but two beloved romantic comedies in the '90s with Julia — Pretty Woman and Runaway Bride. In Maybe I Do, he plays the father of Emma's character, which Emma told Page Six at a special screening of the film on Tuesday "just made so much sense." "I loved him in Runaway Bride and Pretty Woman. Obviously, he's worked with my aunt, so to get to work with him felt like full circle," she said. Also speaking to PEOPLE on Tuesday, Emma said, "It's not something we talked about, but I was so excited to work with him because Runaway Bride is one of my favorite movies that they did," when asked whether she felt her aunt was "passing the torch" on to her in working with Gere. For his part, Gere also praised Emma, telling PEOPLE she "has one of the most difficult roles" in the new romantic comedy. "Obviously I loved working with her aunt, but she's her own person. She has her own career and does things her own way," Gere said of his new costar. "She has one of the most difficult roles, the straight and narrow among the crazy adults. I think she did great." Emma Roberts and Richard Gere. Jamie McCarthy/Getty The film also stars Diane Keaton, William H. Macy and Luke Bracey, and follows two married couples involved in affairs with each other, who learn the hard way that their respective kids (played by Emma and Bracey) are hoping to get married. Written and directed by Michael Jacobs (Boy Meets World, Charles in Charge, Dinosaurs), Maybe I Do hits theaters nationwide on Jan. 27. Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more. Related content: Rom-com multiverses collide with Diane Keaton, Richard Gere, and Susan Sarandon in Maybe I Do Diane Keaton dishes on kissing, Book Club 2, and being a 'lunatic' in Mack & Rita 2002 rewatch: Unfaithful brought sex to the summer movie season, before the superheroes took over