Interviews Conducted by Robert J. Beck

It must be quite strange thinking you’ve both been in the same show

 but years apart.

It was a lot of fun. We compared notes and even though they’re years
 apart our notes kind of matched. [laughter].

You also appeared in the recent 'Dark Night' Film which has been
 called the 'best film ever'. Does it feel good to be a part of such a
popular film?

Yeah it’s not like I confuse it with things like achieving world peace and
 child abuse but being in such a popular film is a very good feeling. I
can’t tell you what it feels like to stop at every traffic light and have
 somebody scream at you ‘Batman was soooo coooool!!!’ [laughter]
You know, it’s really nice.

You played a character in that film that was in the mafia and was in the comics. Did you read any of the Batman comics to give you an idea of the character?

I only checked him out after I got the part but I went a comic book store and they have all these old comics and I went well back and I found a lot of Maroni. He was just a small character but he was in and out of the comic books.

That’s kind of the same way he is in the film, isn’t he?

Yeah you’re right, exactly, exactly.

And I think your character did a lot for the movie in a way. He was the opponent to Harvey Dent.

So much, I love hearing that, thank you brother.

And then Harvey Dent kills you off to show he’s changed so much over the film.

Harvey Dent smokes me! [laughter]

You also appeared in the recent 'Dark Night' Film which has been called the 'best film ever'. Does it feel good to be a part of such a popular film?

Yeah it’s not like I confuse it with things like achieving world peace and child abuse but being in such a popular film is a very good feeling. I can’t tell you what it feels like to stop at every traffic light and have somebody scream at you ‘Batman was soooo coooool!!!’ [laughter] You know, it’s really nice.

  Your daughter is of course Emma Roberts who stared
  in‘Unfabulous’ I thought she was very good in this,are you proud
  of her for following job?

  Yeah well I’m proud of all my kids. I’m proud of my movie star
  daughter and my rock and role step-son Keaton Simons who’s first
  album will be out this year and my step-daughter Morgan Simons
  who owns her own catering company called ‘Taste’ and they’re all
  just incredible kids and they’re all having incredibly successful lives
  it’s really cool.

  There must be a lot of pressure being the son or daughter of
  someone famous because there’s always a need to look good in
  your parent’s eyes.

Well, I suppose, I hadn’t really thought about it but they’re such individuals that they like our opinions but they have their own mind. They’re all very strong and very talented people, all three of them.
 
You have been is it 120 movies?

I don’t know, I lost count around 70. [laughter]

Eric Roberts playing Salvatore Maroni in 'The Dark Knight.

Eric Roberts playing Mr Thompson on 'Heroes'.