Clive Owen has revealed how he insisted on Julia Roberts as his co-star in Duplicity.

The British actor had already teamed up with Roberts - reportedly one of Hollywood's most expensive actresses - for Closer in 2004.

His verdict on the Pretty Woman star was: "She's the best. She's fantastic, she's lovely, funny, super-smart and a joy to work with."

Owen said he and Duplicity director Tony Gilroy both lobbied to get Roberts on board and were so convinced she was the right actress for the part that they put the project on hold after she fell pregnant.

Roberts said her on-screen chemistry is the secret of the spy caper's success, saying: "It was super. We're good friends. We've been friends for a long time.

"This was sort of the lofty answer to all the raw emotional scenes we had in Closer."

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