Paltrow Lost Film Role After Martin Split Backlash
The Oscar winner says studio executives dropped her from an unnamed project due to negative publicity surrounding her high-profile separation. Her career took an unexpected hit during personal turmoil.
A decade after her much-criticized "conscious uncoupling" announcement, Gwyneth Paltrow says she lost a film role because of the media storm that followed her split from Chris Martin. The actress made this revelation during a recent podcast appearance, shedding light on how personal drama can derail professional opportunities in Hollywood.
Studio Fears Over Negative Press
Speaking with Amy Poehler on the Good Hang podcast, Paltrow described how distributors backed away from casting her. "I was supposed to do a movie at one point, and it was right after the kind of 'conscious uncoupling' thing with Chris. There was a lot of harsh stuff in the press, and I think the distributor was like, 'I think this might be too hot to touch.'"
Poehler, who experienced her own public divorce, understood the situation immediately. "They were like, 'We don't need the heat,'" she responded. Paltrow added with dark humor: "Yeah. So, that was great, because I was getting a divorce and then I got fired. It was so awesome." The specific film remains unnamed.
From Personal Setback to New Projects
The Shakespeare in Love Oscar winner married the Coldplay frontman in 2003. They share two children, Apple and Moses, before their 2014 separation became tabloid fodder. Paltrow later married American Horror Story creator Brad Falchuk.
Now she's promoting her A24 drama Marty Supreme during awards season. Josh Safdie directs the ping-pong story starring Timothée Chalamet. Paltrow plays Kay Stone, who has an affair with Chalamet's character Marty Mauser while married to Milton Rockwell.
Rejecting Modern Film Practices
During production, both Paltrow and Chalamet declined using an intimacy coordinator for their scenes together. This goes against current industry standards following the #MeToo movement. "We said, 'I think we're good. You can step a little bit back. I don't know how it is for kids who are starting out, but… if someone is like, 'Okay, and then he's going to put his hand here.' I would feel, as an artist, very stifled by that,'" she told Vanity Fair.
She only learned about the coordinator when asked about approaching a particular scene. "Girl, I'm from the era where you get naked, you get in bed, the camera's on," she explained.
Chalamet showed similar commitment during filming. Kevin O'Leary, who plays Milton, told Variety that Chalamet refused a stunt double for a spanking sequence. The director needed 40 takes to capture the exact shot he wanted. "Josh was saying, 'You've got to wind up harder.' I was really whacking him."