Amy Morton On Julia Roberts Starring in the August: Osage County Movie: 'It's Going to Be Fascinating'

As Amy Morton begins her run in the Broadway revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, filming has simultaneously started on the film adaptation of the Tony-winning play August: Osage County. While Morton earned a Tony nomination for playing eldest Weston sister Barbara in the show, Oscar winner Julia Roberts will take on the part (and hopefully scream Barbara's awesome line "I'm running things now!") when the movie hits theaters next year. 

“She’s a really great actor, so I’m fine with it,” Morton told Broadway.com of passing the torch on to the famous movie star. “I’m too old for it anyway at this point, are you kidding me?” Morton originated the role of Barbara in Chicago at the Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theatre during the summer of 2007, before the production transferred to Broadway’s Imperial Theatre that fall. 

In addition to Roberts, a slew of movie stars including Meryl Streep, Sam Shepard, Ewan McGregor and Juliette Lewis have signed on for the drama, which follows a distressed family trying to locate their missing patriarch. So how does Morton feel about the film’s choice to go with big-name celebs? “It’s going to be fascinating to see what happens. I think it sounds like a great cast and I'm thrilled to see what happens,” she said.

In the meantime, Morton is still linked to the Weston family as she co-stars opposite the acclaimed drama's playwright, Tracy Letts, in Virginia Woolf. Letts plays George, Morton's academic (and alcoholic) husband with a temper. "This is the seventh or eighth time we’ve been married!" Morton joked of their frequent stage collaborations. "We have a great work chemistry, and I don’t know why, it just is. He's just freakin’ brilliant. There’s nobody better to work with, and I feel so lucky to have that."

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf opens at the Booth Theatre on October 13. Watch clips of Morton letting out her rage in August: Osage County below, and check back on Broadway.com on October 8 for a full Q&A with Morton!