GWYNETH PALTROW
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here and in Hollywood. The film. directed by Mrs Brown‘s John Madden and co-written by Tom Stoppard. has already received six (iolden (ilobe nominations. unan- imous critical approval. and is a hot tip for suprise ()scar success. It‘s a
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completely different ballgame for
Paltrow. who in the past has turned down female leads in big films like 'Iilunie and The .rli'engers because she preferred to do little movies like lz‘iiiniu and Sliding Doors.
'l never wanted to he a big star and I felt those movies were jtist too big for me.‘ explains the 26-year—old. ‘.lulianne Moore is really my idol. I think she‘s a genius. She can do a big movie like The Lost World and then she can do Boogie .\'iglIl.\'. And she is still who she is. I worry that. the more successful I get. the less people will think of me as an actor first. I guess it‘s otit of my control. btit I really feel that fame is a totally empty pursuit.‘
Paltrow has seen it tip close. of
course. as the ex—girlfriend of Brad Pitt. ‘If you‘re smart. you stay in touch with your old friends. who don‘t let you get away with anything.‘ she says of superstardom. 'If you‘re not smart. you start hanging around with people on your payroll. people who won‘t disagree with you. Then it‘s just a matter of time before you end up getting paranoid and isolated. Yoti don‘t want to give anything away because it can be interpreted as a story. Yoti worry that you‘re always going to be taken advantage of. Yoti think you‘re staying really connected to who you are. btit you have no idea how off the mark you have gone.‘
She smiles. ‘()f course. there are also good things about being famous getting free designer clothes. discounts in shops and never having any problems with dinner reservations.‘
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Shakes/ware In Love is a bench- mark for l’altrow in another way it contains nudity. something she has avoided in her past films. and the reason she missed working with Julianne Moore in Boogie Sig/its.
‘I just don‘t want to embarrass my grandfather. He would have flipped out totally if l had made Boogie .\'ig/iis.‘ she explains. ‘But in this movie nudity has its place. At the core of it is art incredibly empowering love story that doesn‘t end in a conventional way. To me. it was extremely important to illustrate the dynamic between Viola and William as one of unparalleled love and passion. because that love is going to go on to fuel them in different respective ways. and they are going to be able to change the world. which I think is a beautiful concept.
"l‘his movie is about passion. expression. and l‘tii an artist and that‘s how i choose to express myself in [his role. It‘s my art. and the nudity works for the film and that‘s what comes first and foremost. It‘s not like l‘iii doing it for the purpose of titillating men it‘s not a beer commercial. you know'."
l’altrow‘s passion for her work is deeply rooted. She grew tip in a showbusiness family. Her mother is actress Blythe l)anner. her father 'l‘\" producer Bruce l’altrow. who is turning director with the comedy Duets. which she is currently filming. Btit despite commercial hits with Seven atid lininiu. she has preferred to lean towards low-key projects such as [lord lz‘igln. (ireut l:‘.\'/)eenni(nis and Sliding Doors;
Nowadays. the man in her life is Armageddon star Ben Affleck. who. with Matt Damon. won a l‘NS Oscar for co-writing (iood Will Hunting. Burned by the media attention on her and ex-fiance Brad Pitt. l’altrow is
Girl in the picture: (clockwise from left) Gwyneth Paltrow in Emma; with boyfriend Ben Affleck in Shakespeare In Love; in Seven; in Great Expectations; and in Sliding Doors
'l'm not very manly. I thought of myself as an English gay guy dressed in an Elizabethan outfit.’
Gwyneth Paltrow
unwilling to talk in depth about her new romance.
'lf there‘s one thing I‘ve learned.‘ she says warily. 'it‘s that I‘m not going to talk about relationships anymore. Now l‘tii fiercely protective of my private life. It‘s private and you mess with it when you start to let other people iii -~ let alone the whole world in. l was just a kid when l was with Brad. and l was excited and madly in love with him. In a way. I brought the tabloid freii/y on myself. I was the one who had talked about our relationship to the press. It didn‘t occur to me not to. l‘iii not guarded at all. I‘ve had to learn to be.‘
After the breakup with l’itt. l’altrow stayed with her actress friend Winona Ryder before moving into a New York West Village apartment that she shares with her best friend from kindergarten.
‘lt was a kind of lonely and kind of fun time.‘ she recalls of the period after the breakup with Brad. ‘1 had always had a long—term boyfriend. except for those six months. It was weird. and I felt grown tip. It was the first time I remember feeling. I know who I am now.‘
In the last few years. l’altrow has spent a lot of time filming in London (liniinu. Sliding Doors and Shakespeare ln I.()l'(' were all filmed there). btit she still favours the New York lifesyle.
‘I lead a ordinary. normal life when l‘iii not working. I take the subway everywhere and never get bothered. I don‘t usually recognized unless l‘iii ptittitig on make-up. brush my hair and dress tip like (lwynetli Paltrow. And I hope that won‘t change. no matter how successful I become.‘
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Shakespeare In Love goes on general release on Fri 29 Jan. See review.