Gwyneth Paltrow Calls Out Reese Witherspoon for Chasing Fame and Fortune
Gwyneth Paltrow takes aim at Reese Witherspoon, questioning her career choices and priorities, despite her own history of lucrative roles and Hollywood privilege.
Even the most passionate actors have to keep the lights on, and that often means taking on high-paying gigs that don’t exactly push their artistic limits. Gwyneth Paltrow is no exception, yet she recently took a swipe at a fellow star for making similar choices. The irony is hard to miss—Paltrow, who grew up surrounded by Hollywood royalty and never had to fight her way up from the bottom, is now criticizing someone else for picking money and status over creative satisfaction.
Born into a family of industry heavyweights—her father a nine-time Emmy-nominated director, her mother a Tony-winning actress, and Steven Spielberg as her godfather—Paltrow had a head start most can only dream of. Still, she managed to prove herself, landing standout roles in films like Flesh and Bone, Seven, Hard Eight, and Emma. By 26, she had already snagged an Oscar for Best Actress in Shakespeare in Love, and followed it up with acclaimed performances in The Talented Mr. Ripley and The Royal Tenenbaums. But by the late 2000s, she had mostly stepped back from acting, focusing on her lifestyle brand Goop and other ventures, while only occasionally appearing in blockbuster Marvel films—so many, in fact, she’s admitted to losing track of them.
Hollywood Paths and Double Standards
It’s almost a rite of passage for rising stars in Hollywood to try their hand at different genres as they climb the ladder. Paltrow did just that, working with top directors, starring in literary adaptations, dabbling in romantic comedies, and even portraying real-life figures in biopics. Yet, when another actress followed a similar path—winning an Oscar in her twenties and then taking on a string of romantic comedies—Paltrow wasn’t impressed.
In an interview with The Guardian, she remarked,
“Even actresses that you really admire, like Reese Witherspoon, you think, another romantic comedy? You know.”
She went on,
“You see her in something like Walk the Line and think, ‘God, you’re so great.’ And then you think, ‘Why is she doing these stupid romantic comedies?’ But, of course, it’s for money and status. I just think, wouldn’t it be great if all of those movies people went to see were about real women?”
Critique or Hypocrisy?
That’s a bold statement coming from someone who starred in Shallow Hal—a romantic comedy she’s since criticized and distanced herself from—not to mention Sliding Doors, Bounce, and View from the Top, most of which haven’t exactly stood the test of time. The suggestion that Witherspoon shouldn’t make rom-coms after winning an Oscar seems especially rich, considering Paltrow’s own filmography.
What’s more, these comments came before Paltrow signed on for a lucrative run as Pepper Potts in seven Marvel blockbusters alongside Robert Downey Jr. As the years have passed, her criticism of Witherspoon’s career choices has only seemed more out of touch. At least Witherspoon has never publicly trashed her own romantic comedies, unlike some people.