Gwyneth Paltrow didn’t just win an Oscar for Shakespeare in Love—she went to war with Harvey Weinstein behind the scenes. Paltrow didn’t hold back in her Variety cover story celebrating two decades since her Oscar win, calling the disgraced producer a “bully” and revealing just how many battles they had.
“I wasn’t scared of him,” Paltrow said, recalling her early days at Miramax. As the studio’s golden girl, she felt it was her job to stand up to Weinstein. And boy, did she.
The Emma Money Showdown
The first significant fight? Emma is the 1996 flick in which Paltrow earned praise and a big paycheck. When Weinstein tried withholding her back-end compensation, Paltrow didn’t just roll over. “I got him to pay me something,” she said, describing the legal letter they sent with the check. “This is not an acknowledgment that we owe you this money, but here’s a check.” Classic Weinstein.
The Ben Affleck Shakespeare Drama
Things got spicy in Shakespeare in Love, too. After Gwyneth had tested with Joseph Fiennes, Weinstein decided at the last minute that Good Will Hunting’s next big thing, Ben Affleck, should play Shakespeare. Paltrow didn’t have it. “No, you can’t do that. You have to have an English person,” she demanded, shutting it down with the confidence you only get from someone who’s already won an Oscar. Affleck ended up playing Ned Alleyn, and Shakespeare lived to fight another day.
Yelling at Weinstein: A Family Affair
Paltrow’s working relationship with Weinstein was like a reality TV show you couldn’t turn off. “We had knock-down, drag-out fights,” she said. And when her mom, Blythe Danner, caught her yelling at him on the phone, what was her reaction? “Good for you. Stand up for yourself.” Because if anyone knows how to deal with drama, it’s Blythe Danner.
The Hotel Room Incident
But it wasn’t just screaming matches. Paltrow also opened up about a terrifying encounter with Weinstein during Emma. He summoned her to a hotel room and made a move. “I had one uncomfortable, weird experience,” she recalled. “Then he was never inappropriate with me again in that way.” Of course, that didn’t stop the Times from revealing the truth about Weinstein’s pattern of abuse years later.
The Legacy of Shakespeare in Love
Through all the drama, Shakespeare in Love went on to win seven Oscars, including Best Picture. And despite Weinstein’s shadow, Paltrow stands by the film. “It’s a beautiful film. A movie will not be successful if it’s not good,” she said.
Paltrow didn’t just win an Oscar. She won a battle against an empire, a bully, and a system that had been looking the other way for too long.
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