She’s an Oscar winner and an American icon, and based on her latest film, the Farrelly Brothers’ sweet comedy Shallow Hal, will do anything for her art. The daughter of actress Blythe Danner and producer/director Bruce Paltrow, Gwyneth Paltrow was born in Los Angeles in 1972. When she was 11, her family moved to Massachusetts so that her father could direct summer stock productions, it was there that the actress began to receive theatrical training under her parents’ guidance. Educated at New York’s exclusive Spence School, Paltrow went on to study anthropology at the University of California before deciding to drop out to pursue her acting career. She got her first screen role in the 1991 movie Shout and in the same year she played the young Wendy in Steven Spielberg’s “Hook.”
Two years later, Paltrow made her first significant impression with a chilling turn as a young con artist in Flesh and Bone. She went on to minor but memorable roles in “Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle” (1994) and “Jefferson in Paris” (1995) before earning her first true taste of fame with her part as Brad Pitt’s wife in “Se7en” (1995). However, she finally came into her own the following year with the title role in Emma, and the same year she was seen in both “The Pallbearer,” with David Schwimmer, and Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Hard Eight.” 1998 was a turning point in Paltrow’s career. That year, she had starring roles in no less than five films: “Hush,” A Perfect Murder, “Great Expectations,” Sliding Doors and John Madden’s Shakespeare in Love. The latter film drew particular acclaim, eventually winning seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actress for Paltrow.
The following year, she had the lead in Anthony Minghella’s The Talented Mr. Ripley. Paltrow’s healthy sense of humour afforded her the courage to take on the role of a 300 pound object of funnyman Jack Black’s affection in Shallow Hal and will next be seen in Possession and Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums.
As Gwyneth revealed to Film Threat, shooting Shallow Hal was a learning experience in itself…
Get the interview in part two of THE SKINNY FROM GWYNETH PALTROW>>>
