In our new Gossip with Celebitchy podcast – which comes out this weekend! – CB and I talked about the new Gwyneth Paltrow biography and all of the 1990s gossip around and about Gwyneth. The biography is being exclusively excerpted in this week’s People Mag cover story, and the Brad Pitt sections are already getting a lot of headlines. That was one of the big focuses in our comment section too, especially the part about how and why Gwyneth and Brad split up and broke off their engagement. After Emma came out, Gwyneth allegedly complained that Brad “wanted to be with her but seemed to feel threatened by her success and all the attention she received.” That was heavily debated! But I think it’s probably very true, especially given what we know now about Brad. You also have to remember the age difference at the time – he is nine years older than Gwyneth, which was a big deal when she was 22-24 and he was in his 30s and “ready to settle down.” Well, People knows what ‘90s girls want, so they added more to their excerpts, specifically the Pitt section:
“They were one of the most iconic couples of the nineties,” says author Amy Odell of Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Pitt. Both gorgeous, glamorous — and for a time, sporting the same shag haircut. Odell shares new details about their romance in her new book Gwyneth: The Biography, a revealing look at the fascinating life of the 52-year-old star, excerpted exclusively in this week’s PEOPLE.
The two first met in 1993 when Paltrow auditioned for the romantic western Legends of the Fall. She didn’t get the part (Julia Ormond did) but sparks flew and Pitt later suggested her for the role of his wife in the 1995 thriller, Se7en. At the time, Paltrow was also offered a role in Feeling Minnesota opposite Keanu Reeves. Unsure of which one to accept, writes Odell, “She consulted with a friend, who said, ‘Well, who do you want to date, Brad Pitt or Keanu Reeves?’ Gwyneth chose Se7en and Pitt, and Cameron Diaz took the Feeling Minnesota part.”
After two years of dating, they became engaged in Argentina in December 1996.
“Her dad [Bruce Paltrow] loved Brad,” says Odell. “Her friends loved Brad. They thought he was the nicest guy.”
Still, according to the author, Paltrow was having misgivings. “Gwyneth expressed doubts to a crew member [while making the 1996 film Emma] that Pitt was right for her, and admitted she had a crush on Hugh Grant.”
“He was brought up very religious, in Missouri,” says Odell. “It’s just a very different world from hers, growing up in Manhattan, going to Spence, I think she thought he wasn’t sophisticated enough for her. She thought she was smarter, better educated, more sophisticated.” The book also recounts an interview Paltrow once gave about the chasm between their worlds. “Brad and I have very different upbringings,” she told an interviewer. “So when we go to restaurants and order caviar, I have to say to Brad ‘This is beluga and this is osetra.’”
The caviar story still kills me. But it speaks to both sides – Gwyneth was and is a snob and an elitist, and she kind of thought Pitt was beneath her. As for Brad… I remember his behavior during the Gwyneth years, and he really loved her. But I think he was absolutely threatened by her success and he was probably pressuring her to work less and be less visible. I think he did the same with Angelina, which is why she would go years without taking acting jobs. Also: I remember that Gwyneth’s parents loved Brad, she always talked about that.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
