Oscar-winner Gwyneth Paltrow has opened up about her reasons for shifting her focus from acting to her lifestyle brand, Goop.
Appearing on SiriusXM’s Quarantined with Bruce, Paltrow explained that the combination of living painful breakups in the spotlight and having a “really rough boss” left her disenchanted with Hollywood and her successful acting career.
The boss in question is, of course, former Miramax head Harvey Weinstein who produced Shakespeare in Love for which Paltrow earned her Academy Award.
Weinstein became a central figure in the #MeToo movement in late 2017 when twin exposés published in both The New York Times and The New Yorker revealed his decades of sexual misconduct. Paltrow was one of more than 80 women who accused the powerful producer of sexual harassment and is widely credited with helping to bring the disgraced mogul to justice.
Speaking to the Times in October 2017, Paltrow revealed that Weinstein had invited her to his hotel room to talk about her upcoming role in the film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma.
The actress alleged that during the meeting, he suggested they head to the bedroom for a massage — a move that was later discovered to be the producer’s MO.
“I was a kid, I was signed up, I was petrified,” Paltrow said, explaining that she’d told then-boyfriend Brad Pitt about what happened and that he’d warned Weinstein never to touch her again. Paltrow added, “I thought he was going to fire me.”
It is alleged that Weinstein subsequently lied about his encounter with the actress, apparently telling multiple other young female Hollywood hopefuls that he made Paltrow a star after she slept with him, implying that they too could have success if they followed suit.
“He’s not the first person to lie about sleeping with someone,” Paltrow said in the Times piece. “But he used the lie as an assault weapon.”
Weinstein, who has maintained his innocence, is currently serving 23 years in prison on sexual assault and rape charges.
As for Paltrow, she clarified in March 2019 that she wasn’t done with acting for good, but that Goop was her priority.
“What I say is Goop is my full-time passion, and being the founder and CEO of Goop is what I do all day every day, and occasionally when something is the right thing and it works out around my children and my Goop life, I’m able to participate,” Paltrow said during an appearance on the Today show.
“I think I’m just not focused on full-time acting right now.”