In a surprising revelation, Hollywood star Gwyneth Paltrow has confessed she came perilously close to rejecting the role that would define her career and win her an Academy Award. The part of Viola de Lesseps in the 1998 period romance Shakespeare in Love was almost passed over because the actress was nursing a devastating heartbreak following her split from then-fiancé Brad Pitt.
A Career-Defining Role Almost Lost to Heartache
Paltrow, now 53, was offered the iconic role the year after her high-profile relationship with Pitt, 62, ended in 1997. The pair had met on the set of Seven in 1994, where they played a married couple, and their off-screen romance led to an engagement. Speaking to OK! magazine, Paltrow admitted her initial reaction to the script was a refusal. "I passed on it because I was nursing a terrible heartbreak and I didn’t feel like I could do much of anything," she explained.
Fortunately, the actress was persuaded to reconsider. Upon reading the script for a second time, she had a moment of clarity. "I went back and I read it again and then I thought, 'Am I out of my mind? I’ve got to do this movie'," Paltrow recalled. Her performance opposite Joseph Fiennes was met with widespread critical acclaim, and in 1999, at just 26 years old, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress.
The Overwhelming Aftermath of Sudden Stardom
Despite the professional triumph, Paltrow has spoken candidly about the disorienting effect of winning Hollywood's highest honour at such a young age. "It was really weird. I felt lost. I really didn’t know what it meant," she confessed, reflecting on her uncertainty about what path to take next.
The film irrevocably altered her life and public profile. "It just changed my life," Paltrow stated. "I don’t think it ever went back to normal. I think you cross into some hemisphere of being recognised... That was like, 'OK, you’re categorically not this anymore. You’re in this realm!'"
Reflecting on a Past Love with Clarity
Looking back on her romance with Brad Pitt in a 2015 interview, Paltrow acknowledged she was too young for such a serious commitment. "I definitely fell in love with him. He was so gorgeous and sweet. I mean, he was Brad Pitt!" she told Howard Stern. However, she added, "I was such a kid. I was 22 when we met... I wasn't ready, and he was too good for me."
Despite the painful split, the two megastars have maintained a warm friendship over the decades. In a joint interview for Paltrow's wellness brand, Goop, in 2022, they openly expressed their enduring affection. Pitt reminisced about his bond with Paltrow's late father, director Bruce Paltrow, who had told him he felt he was "gaining a son" during their engagement.
Paltrow, now married to Brad Falchuk, joked, "I finally found the Brad I was supposed to marry. It just took me 20 years." To which Pitt warmly responded, "And it's lovely to have you as a friend now... I do love you." Paltrow's reply was simple and heartfelt: "Love you so much."
