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Gwyneth Paltrow at 40: 7 things we learned from Harper's

April 11, 2013|By Nardine Saad
  • Gwyneth Paltrow on the May 2013 cover of Harper's Bazaar.
Gwyneth Paltrow on the May 2013 cover of Harper's Bazaar. (Harper's Bazaar )

Gwyneth Paltrow at 40 is very different than Gwyneth Paltrow at, say, 25 or 30. The award-winning actress who's made a name for herself beyond Hollywood because of her fit lifestyle and cookbooks is opening up about what keeps her going.

"I'm at quite a pivotal point, she says in Harper's Bazaar's May issue. "Do I want to go back more into films? Do I want another child? Do I want to move back to the States? You can call me a lot of things, but you can't call me complacent!"

Harper's writer Sarah Bailey credits Paltrow's landmark birthday to her "searing stock-taking," later adding that "there's something refreshingly frank and fearless about this new fifth-decade Gwyneth."

So, here are a few things we learned about the mother of Apple and Moses from the interview:

On her relationship with "Iron Man 3" costar Robert Downey Jr. and preparing to kick butt as Pepper Potts: "It's very alive. It doesn't matter if we're talking about robots or aliens, it doesn't matter if it's Shakespeare, if you're working with someone of that quality, it's very invigorating as an artist.... There's a portion of the movie where something bad happens to me, and I lose clothes along the way, so essentially I'm wearing a bra and trousers. There are certain requirements, but luckily I have a good base because I work out often. I just had to not eat pasta and French fries the night before shooting -- which I'm terrible at doing."

Regarding beauty products and why she's afraid of Botox: "I use organic products, but I get lasers. It's what makes life interesting, finding the balance between cigarettes and tofu. I've probably tried everything," she added. "I would be scared to go under the knife, but you know, talk to me when I'm 50. I'll try anything. Except I won't do Botox again, because I looked crazy. I looked like Joan Rivers!"

On her lessons from pal Jay-Z, yes, the rapper and yes, Beyonce's husband: "I don't hold on to fear as much as I used to, because I've learned a lot about genuinely not caring what strangers think about me," she said. "It's very liberating. It's very empowering, and I've learned a lot of that from Jay -- Shawn Carter -- Z, because his approach to life is very internal. It's a very good lesson to learn." Read what she had to say about Bey here.

Her guilty pleasure: "My one light American Spirit that I smoke once a week, on Saturday night." (Gasp!)

On her decadelong marriage to Coldplay's Chris Martin: "We are growing into very similar people. It's cool, it's good. It's not always easy, though!"

On being a "mother hen" in Hollywood: "I think that women, especially women in my job, come to me because they know I'm very loving and nonjudgmental and I'm not competitive, and I've been through a lot. And so they come round to talk about their stuff. I'm a bit of a mother hen. Everyone wants a home-cooked meal and to come over and talk about where they are in their life ..." she said. "I love it, and I feel that I have the most incredible women friends, some who are super famous, some who I've had since I was four years old."

On her next step: "There are some films that I want to do, and I love my business and I want to expand that a lot. We'll sort of see. I mean, if I want to have another kid, I gotta kind of get on it.... But then you see a baby and you smell a baby! And you're like, 'Yep, I do.' I don't know. It's a very big decision, so we'll see. Anyway, I'm not doing it this month!"


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Nardine Saad

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