One of the ways I feel like I’m disconnected from the way a lot of people digest pop culture is the way I tune out celebrity gossip almost completely. When I hear someone say that they “hate” a celebrity, I wonder what gets them to that point. There are no celebrities who matter enough in my world for me to hate any of them, and certainly not because of the way they live.
Case in point: when I think of Gwyneth Paltrow, I think of her onscreen work. I think of the first time I saw her in the largely unseen gem “Flesh and Bone,” where she was captivating and carnal and impressive. Over the years, I’ve liked much of her work, and she’s made her fair share of films that did nothing for me. Through it all, it never occurred to me to hate her.
Is it because she’s married to a rock star and because she runs a lifestyle blog? Because I’ve never visited it, and I’m not even sure what it’s called, and I certainly don’t think there’s any chance anyone’s going to force me to read it any time soon. And who cares who she’s married to? I think the reason many people love gossip is because it gives them something to compare their own life to, and when they see someone living better than them, it gives them a specific target for their anger.
Is it because she was just picked as “The Most Beautiful Woman Alive” by People magazine? Because that’s another thing that seems very silly to be upset by. It’s not like she demanded that they run the headline, like when M. Night Shyamalan insisted they call him “The New Hitchcock” in a story. I doubt she campaigned for it at all. She’s got a big new high-profile film coming out, so it makes sense that they’d pick her.
When we sat down, all I knew was that I wanted to talk about the way her role in “Iron Man 3” has evolved. I think I accidentally offended her a bit when I asked her how it was to step into the energy between Robert Downey Jr. and Shane Black, because she made a point of explaining that Shane was the newcomer, and that he was the one joining their family. That’s totally true, of course. She’s been part of the Marvel Universe since “Iron Man,” and now that her contract is up, it’s time to reflect on the experiences she’s had so far and decide if she’s going to stay involved moving forward. The things they have her do in this film definitely shook up the sense of sameness that can set in after playing a part four or five times, and she sounded like it was a good experience.
Will we see more of Pepper and Tony? I’d bet on it. Right now, these people have a real sense of ownership over the characters they’ve established on film, and I think money is only one small part of the decisions they’ll be making about the future.
And if you seriously feel like you need to say terrible personal things about Paltrow, do it elsewhere. I would rather have a conversation about her work than about any weird baggage you’ve picked up because you spend too much time reading about her personal life. Everyone I’ve ever known who worked with her has great things to say about how she is on a set and what she brings to the table in a collaboration, and those are the things that matter here.
“Iron Man 3” will blow the back wall out of your local theater starting Friday.