Gwyneth Paltrow Says She Has ‘Never Seen’ Most of Her Marvel Films

Gwyneth Paltrow has a tenuous relationship with the MCU despite playing Pepper Potts in numerous Marvel films. During an appearance at the Red Sea Film Festival, Paltrow confirmed that she “stopped watching them at some point.”

“I’ve never seen Endgame,” the actress told the audience during a career retrospective event. “I’ve never seen any of these. I can’t keep track. I probably should at some point.”

She explained that she only did Iron Man with Robert Downey Jr. after receiving assurances from the studio that it would be artistically interesting despite being a superhero blockbuster.

“The first film we did was very different from the rest because the studio didn’t think it was going to be a big hit,” Paltrow said. “They hired Jon Favreau to direct who was great. And they hired Robert Downey Jr., who was un-hireable at the time. His career was at a very low point.” 

She continued, “They said, ‘It’s going to feel like doing an indie film. We’re gonna have fun and you don’t have to be in too much of the action part anyway.’ So I thought, ‘Oh, okay.’ And we had such a good time. We improvised almost every scene of that movie. We would write it in the morning in Jon’s trailer, and it was like doing [an indie] film. Then, the movie was such a huge hit that we didn’t make them like that anymore. 

Beyond her distaste for the MCU, Paltrow was asked which of her film roles has stayed with her over the years. “The Royal Tenenbaums,” she said. “That film has stayed with people. My daughter’s friends watch it and love it all these years later.”

She added that she has also enjoyed working with several filmmakers. “David Fincher,” she said, responding to an audience question about the best director she’s collaborated with. “I was so lucky to feature in his first motion picture. I was in Paul Thomas Anderson’s first one, which was great. I loved working with Wes [Anderson]. I loved working with Anthony Minghella on The Talented Mr. Ripley. I was very lucky.” 

Another project she disliked was Hush, which came out in 1998. “I did a really, really terrible movie with Jessica Lange,” Paltrow recalled. “That is just shit. But I learned so much from watching her. She had such an interesting style and technique that she had developed over all these years… I think about these amazing people that I got to work with and see all the different ways and then kind of made my own techniques.”

Over the past several years, Paltrow has pivoted away from her film career to focus on her wellness brand Goop. Towards the end of her talk, a fan asked Paltrow if she plans to return to the screen any time soon.

“I never say never,” she said. “I’m really happy and busy doing what I’m doing. But if one of my best said, ‘Please come and do this,’ maybe I would consider.”

Gwyneth Paltrow has a tenuous relationship with the MCU despite playing Pepper Potts in numerous Marvel films. During an appearance at the Red Sea Film Festival, Paltrow confirmed that she “stopped watching them at some point.”

“I’ve never seen Endgame,” the actress told the audience during a career retrospective event. “I’ve never seen any of these. I can’t keep track. I probably should at some point.”

She explained that she only did Iron Man with Robert Downey Jr. after receiving assurances from the studio that it would be artistically interesting despite being a superhero blockbuster.

“The first film we did was very different from the rest because the studio didn’t think it was going to be a big hit,” Paltrow said. “They hired Jon Favreau to direct who was great. And they hired Robert Downey Jr., who was un-hireable at the time. His career was at a very low point.” 

She continued, “They said, ‘It’s going to feel like doing an indie film. We’re gonna have fun and you don’t have to be in too much of the action part anyway.’ So I thought, ‘Oh, okay.’ And we had such a good time. We improvised almost every scene of that movie. We would write it in the morning in Jon’s trailer, and it was like doing [an indie] film. Then, the movie was such a huge hit that we didn’t make them like that anymore. 

Beyond her distaste for the MCU, Paltrow was asked which of her film roles has stayed with her over the years. “The Royal Tenenbaums,” she said. “That film has stayed with people. My daughter’s friends watch it and love it all these years later.”

She added that she has also enjoyed working with several filmmakers. “David Fincher,” she said, responding to an audience question about the best director she’s collaborated with. “I was so lucky to feature in his first motion picture. I was in Paul Thomas Anderson’s first one, which was great. I loved working with Wes [Anderson]. I loved working with Anthony Minghella on The Talented Mr. Ripley. I was very lucky.” 

Another project she disliked was Hush, which came out in 1998. “I did a really, really terrible movie with Jessica Lange,” Paltrow recalled. “That is just shit. But I learned so much from watching her. She had such an interesting style and technique that she had developed over all these years… I think about these amazing people that I got to work with and see all the different ways and then kind of made my own techniques.”

Over the past several years, Paltrow has pivoted away from her film career to focus on her wellness brand Goop. Towards the end of her talk, a fan asked Paltrow if she plans to return to the screen any time soon.

“I never say never,” she said. “I’m really happy and busy doing what I’m doing. But if one of my best said, ‘Please come and do this,’ maybe I would consider.”