Roberts writes in his new memoir.
We both wanted a child maybe I did more than she but we both wanted to become parents."
Paul Archuleta/Getty; Eric Charbonneau/Getty
TheStar 80actor recalled the thrill of being a young parent.
Eric Roberts and Emma Roberts.Paul Archuleta/Getty; Eric Charbonneau/Getty
“The pregnancy was very exciting,” he wrote.
“I fell madly in love with Emma the first minute I saw her.
Wed even tried to bring on labor so it could happen exactly on the due date.
Eric Roberts, Emma Roberts, and Eliza Garrett.Gregg DeGuire/WireImage
It was a natural birth.
I sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to her belly a lot.
Despite his enthusiasm for fatherhood, Roberts believed he wasn’t perfectly suited for parenting.
Emma Roberts and Julia Roberts in 2012.Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Im still not a father figure.
Shes that person to her first child, Rhodes.”
Roberts attributed his lack of paternal fitness to his drug addiction.
“The biggest consequence of my drug use was losing Emma,” he wrote.
“I was still impossibly coked up when she was born, which explains everything.”
Id like to reset the air about that, once and for all," he wrote.
We both knew better than that.
There really was no custody fight.
Im very happy to be straightening this out right now."
Gregg DeGuire/WireImage
Roberts said his sister helped the ex-couple financially as they established their separation.
Thankfully, Julia helped, for Emmas sake and because she could afford to.
I deeply appreciated it."
Unfortunately, the stability has to come first.
Its not a childs job to make you stable."
Roberts doesn’t frame the situation as a betrayal of loyalty.
“The difference being that I just couldnt raise Emma on my own.
We were a nice little family for a while, but it didnt last.
I was in too much trouble.”
The actor also said he’s not worried about his daughter’s ability to survive Hollywood as an actress.
“I love this business.
She has more tools at her disposal to build a safe place around herself than I ever did.”
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
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Roberts recognized that his sister and daughter have eclipsed his own fame.
“Im very proud of Emma and Julia for what theyve achieved,” he wrote.
“I imagine I will remain as Julias brother and Emma Robertss dad for the rest of my life.
Id like to make good on that, to move aside proudly and with grace.
Thats part of the reason for writing this book.”
Earlier this year, Roberts toldStill Here Hollywoodhe’s been asked toavoid talking about his sister and daughter.
I love my sister, but I can’t talk about her.
She doesn’t wanna talk about it," he said.
My daughter told me also not to talk about her, but I stumble and do."
He later said, I’m not supposed to talk about either of them.
However, in the book, Roberts said that his daughter lets him interact with her on social media.
“Its always good to ask, because were engaging in a very public way.
Roberts' memoirRunaway Train: Or the Story of My Life So Faris available now.
