Eric Roberts admits his “sadness” over the “loss of relationship” with his daughter Emma Roberts

Eric Roberts opened up about his strained relationship with daughter Emma Roberts.

“There is no pain, there is a sadness about the misunderstandings that we will all most likely have forever. Because we're human,” the 68-year-old actor said during Tuesday's episode of the “Inside of You” podcast.

The Dark Knight star was asked to reflect on the “hardest time” of his life, to which he quickly replied that it was the “loss of his relationship” with the 33-year-old actress.

Eric welcomed Emma with his ex Kelly Cunningham in 1991.

He confirmed that he wrote about their strained relationship in his memoir, Runaway Train: Or the Story of My Life So Far, which was released on September 17.

When asked if it was a “big chapter,” he said: “It should be.” The problem is that it's indefinable – so I'll let you be the judge of that.”

He also owed his new perspective on the situation with Emma to the fact that he had become a grandparent.

“When my grandchildren were born, I started to accept that about myself,” Eric said. “Especially the five-year-old was the first, she was a girl and she liked me in a very strong way.”

The actor went on to say that his eldest granddaughter “looks like Emma,” which “reminds me of what I didn't have.”

Eric is the grandfather of two of his stepchildren's children. Meanwhile, Emma shares her three-year-old son Rhodes Robert Hedlund with her ex Garrett Hedlund.

He then backtracked on his earlier statement that there was no “pain” and called this chapter in his memoirs “the most personally painful.”

“Even writing it was the hardest thing,” Eric said. “The book was hard to write and I didn’t want to write it.”

He then praised his wife, Eliza Roberts, for encouraging him to continue writing when he wanted to give up.

“My wife said, 'It's hard because you stay honest,' and I used that as fuel,” Eric said.

Eric previously raved about Emma's work during an interview with Page Six in February.

He said he is very proud of her “every day” and that one of his favorite films is the 2023 romantic comedy “Maybe I Do.”

A year earlier, in February 2023, he wished her a happy birthday on Instagram with a father-daughter photo from their childhood.

“I knew she would be all that and more. One of the rare things I was right about. I love you Emma,” he wrote in part.