Gwyneth Paltrow is known for her role as Pepper Potts in the MCU and is an Academy Award-winning actress. She has played roles in acclaimed films such as Se7en, Shakespeare in Love, Emma, and The Royal Tenenbaums. The actress has also started her own business and is the head of the lifestyle company Goop.
Paltrow’s personal life over the years has also been highly publicized. Her relationships with Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck in the late ‘90s were huge topics of tabloid coverage. She was even engaged to Pitt for a while. While she and Affleck remained friends after their breakup, she reportedly had one request when she met him after he got engaged to Jennifer Lopez.
Gwyneth Paltrow Had One Request For Ben Affleck After His Engagement
Oscar-winner Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Affleck reportedly met in the late ‘90s at a party hosted by the infamous Harvey Weinstein (via People). The two were together many times, going on and off, and even starred in two films together. Affleck played a supporting role in Paltrow’s Best Actress-winning film Shakespeare in Love.
After their breakup in 2000, Affleck began dating singer and actress Jennifer Lopez and soon became engaged in 2002. Despite the breakup, Affleck and Paltrow reportedly remained friends. However, when rumors circulated that she was horrified by the prospect of him being engaged to Lopez, the Good Will Hunting star decided to clear the air.
In an interview from 2002, Ben Affleck spoke about Gwyneth Paltrow’s reaction to the rumors surrounding her feelings about his engagement to Jennifer Lopez. He clarified that there was no animosity between the two and in fact, Paltrow requested him to tell Lopez that the rumors were untrue. He said in an interview,
Gwyneth is one of the most gracious and well-mannered people I’ve ever met and when I saw her at the, what’s it called, the shivah, in the middle of what had to be the worst time of her life, she said, ‘You know that’s not true. Please tell her it’s not true. I wish you guys only the best.’
Paltrow was reportedly dealing with her father, actor Bruce Paltrow’s death at the time and despite the tumultuous time, she wanted to make sure there was no conflict.
Jennifer Lopez Had Insulted Gwyneth Paltrow’s Acting Abilities
While Gwyneth Paltrow reportedly wanted to clear any animosity that may arise due to rumors about her disapproval of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez’s first engagement, she has reportedly not been a favorite of Lopez’s as an actress. The singer-turned-actress mentioned in an interview that she was not impressed with the fame Paltrow had received.
Back in 1998, Lopez gave an interview where she was asked to comment on some of her contemporaries’ acting abilities. She said to Movieline about Paltrow,
Tell me what she’s been in. I swear to God, I don’t remember anything she was in. Some people get hot by association. I heard more about her and Brad Pitt than I ever heard about her work.
Paltrow had starred in the period drama Emma, the thriller Se7en, and the romantic comedy Sliding Doors at the time. A year after the interview, Paltrow would receive the Oscar for Best Actress after a controversial campaign for Shakespeare in Love.
