"Julia hates me!"

Did Julia Child Really Hate Julie Powell Like In The 'Julie & Julia' Movie?

Julia Child is one of the most admired chefs of all time. And her legendary work once inspired writer Julie Powell to attempt over 500 of her recipes in a calendar year. That was the true story that inspired the 2009 movie Julie & Julia. But did Child really "hate" Powell, as was portrayed in the film?

Julia Child was a famous chef
She is very popular today
Learn more about the story between Julia Child and Julie Powell

For decades, Julia Child has been the name behind some of the world's most popular cookbooks and TV cooking shows.

The chef, who passed away in 2004, still has countless fans to this day. But is it really true that Child was no fan of Julie Powell, whose story was told alongside her own in the 2009 movie Julie & Julia?

Did Julia Child really hate Julie Powell like in the movie?

Powell is the author who gained fame in the 2000s when she attempted over 500 of Julia Child's recipes in 365 days. She chronicled the challenge in a blog and book that later inspired the film Julie & Julia.

Meryl Streep as Julie Child in the Julie and Julia movie.

The movie was a success, and it also spread the notion that Child actually hated Powell, despite the project devoted to her cooking. But was that really true?

Julie & Julia includes a scene where Powell receives a phone call asking her to comment on news that Child dislikes her and her blog. After speaking on the phone, Powell (portrayed by Amy Adams) cries: "Julia hates me!"

The truth of Julia Child-Julie Powell relationship

While the film may have been a bit extreme in its portrayal, the legendary chef truly wasn't a fan of Powell and her kitchen challenge, according to one of the people who knew her best.

The story comes from a Publishers Weekly interview with Child's editor Judith Jones, who said the chef saw Powell's project as "a stunt," and "she didn't want to endorse it."

Julie Powell at a Julie and Julia movie screening in 2009.

Jones added that both she and Child also disliked Powell's cursing in the kitchen. After these comments caused a stir, Jones clarified that Child "didn't think [Powell] was a serious cook … not that she would have said mean things."

So, it does seem that Child had no interest in supporting Powell, but "hate" may be a little extreme given what we know.

Child was in her final years during Powell's period of fame, and she died in 2004. Julie and Julia never met in real life, and Powell's book came out in 2005 followed by the film in 2009.