Julia Roberts' niece Emma Roberts eyes all new restaurant staff with caution, after a waitress tipped a whole tray of drinks over her head.

The teen actress, who recently signed up to play NANCY DREW in a new series of children's mysteries, admits the incident was both shocking and embarrassing - and she's working hard to ensure it never happens again.

She says, "A couple of months ago, I went out to dinner with my family at a really fancy restaurant. A brand new waitress dropped a tray full of drinks on my head, drenching me from head to toe.

"The whole restaurant looked at me in shock."