Which ’90s Star Made Gwyneth Paltrow So Upset, She Pretended to Vomit?
While Gwyneth Paltrow has become the face of self-care and serenity with the launch of her Goop wellness line, a new biography alleges that her Hollywood past is full of behavior that is far from tranquil. Paltrow’s acclaimed ’90s acting career, which culminated in an Academy Award win for Shakespeare in Love, was also apparently packed with feuds — including passive aggression and mimed vomiting aimed at her then-boyfriend’s best friend’s girlfriend.
In Gwyneth: The Biography, journalist Amy Odell writes that Paltrow had a burning dislike for Minnie Driver, who dated Matt Damon in 1997. At the time, Paltrow was romantically involved with Damon’s best friend, Ben Affleck, so her and Driver’s paths frequently crossed. Odell writes that Paltrow disliked Driver because she had an “air of faux British aristocracy,” according to excerpts published by Daily Mail.
Odell’s book also claims that Paltrow organized a last-minute birthday party for Driver in 1997. ” When Driver wasn’t looking, Gwyneth rolled her eyes to friends and mimed vomiting by putting her finger in her mouth,” writes Odell.
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Driver and Damon split in 1998 after a year of dating. Driver would claim he’d only realized that Damon had dumped her when he went on The Oprah Winfrey Show and said he was single. But in Odell’s book, Patrow told friends this was “untrue.”
“Gwyneth understandably wanted to take her boyfriend’s friend’s side, but she also seemed to sour on Driver,” writes Odell, who claims Paltrow considered Driver an “air-kiss friend” with an allegedly “fake” persona.
Odell’s book also alleged that Paltrow’s disdain extended to Winona Ryder, whom Matt Damon began dating following his split with Minnie Driver. Paltrow reportedly had a rather rude nickname for the Beetlejuice star. Odell’s biography also alleges that Paltrow didn’t believe Ryder after she claimed her New York City apartment was robbed—twice!
Amy Odell is the former editor of Cosmopolitan. According to The Guardian, Odell spoke with 220 people for the Gwyneth Paltrow biography. This is her second biography of a high-profile figure: Odell previously wrote Anna: The Biography about Vogue head Anna Wintour.
February 2021
1990s Rom-Coms
Pop some popcorn and cozy up to feel-good movies and TV shows from a generation ago.
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