Julia Longed for Family Filming 'August'

August: Osage County is all about family -- the ultimate dysfunctional family -- and the film's Julia Roberts tells ET's Rob Marciano that it was unexpectedly "horrible" to be away from her family while shooting the dark ensemble comedy in Oklahoma; that co-star Meryl Streep's character set "the new gold standard for cruelty"; and having George Clooney as a producer was not too shabby! Watch the video...

RELATED - 10 Actors Who Could Finally Win Oscars This Year

Based on Tracy Letts' Pulitzer Prize-winning play, August: Osage County tells the dark, hilarious and deeply touching story of the strong-willed women of the Weston family, whose lives have diverged until a family crisis brings them back to the Midwest house they grew up in, and to the dysfunctional woman who raised them.

Directed by John Wells and opening in New York and L.A. theaters December 27 and everywhere January 10, the film also stars Ewan McGregor, Benedict Cumberbatch, Abigail Breslin, Dermot Mulroney, Juliette Lewis, Sam Shepard and Chris Cooper.