HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY FAVORITE PERSON!
http://feelthefilms.wordpress.com/2013/09/28/happy-birthday-gwyneth-pa ltrow/
Five months ago, the “World’s Most Beautiful Woman” issue of People magazine uncovered Gwyneth Paltrow as this year’s choice. I never thought much of Gwyneth Paltrow until the minute I laid eyes on the issue. The pictures were gorgeous, yes, I never acknowledged how stunning Miss. Paltrow actually is. I read the interview and it changed my life. The article detailed Paltrow’s life and I realized how beautiful of a human being she was in her heart. She knows who she is, she loves her kids, she eats right, she exercises every day, she has an incredible work ethic, but above all she is honest.
How many celebrities are actually honest when they give interviews? Not many, in fact most sugar coat every possible question they are asked, even if there could be no possible backlash or controversy based on what they say. Gwyneth doesn’t feed into the boring celebrity image many stars buy into (most recently, Anne Hathaway during her The Dark Knight Rises and Les Miserables press tour). Paltrow is funny, interesting, relaxed, and has little buffer from what she thinks to what she actually says. This is one of the prime examples as to why she’s one of the most controversial celebrities out there, but it’s also why she ranks high in my books.
A wonderful discovery I made was finding out how talented Paltrow really is. Her Academy Award win of 1998 is referred to as a one of the worst wins of all-time, so I always assumed she was lacking in talent and her win contributed to the public’s disgust with her. I rewatched Shakespeare in Love and was transcended by the spell of her performance; I find her Oscar win to be very deserved, though I can understand the light nature of the role may turn off some Oscar Bloggers. Seeking out her other acclaimed performances, I was met with pleasing results.
Paltrow’s best work lies in Proof, a powerhouse performance of grief and doubt. She’s famous for her three episode markings on Glee, which I found her to be sensational in every scene and every song (completely deserving of that Emmy). The biggest shock of her films was Two Lovers, which is surprisingly deep and a Paltrow’s most raw acting to date. Another film I was taken aback by was A Perect Murder. Yes it has very syrupy lines occasionally and it’s not Hitchcock, but I found it to be a great thriller for the ’90s and Paltrow to deliver a rewarding performance. In The Talented Mr. Ripley and The Royal Tenenbams, Paltorw seized the opportunity to be a scene stealing supporting actress, both performances are more than worthy of any Best Supporting Actress award of their years.
Browsing through her filmography the star power Paltrow has hit me like a brick. She’s able to lead films and always backed up with solid acting. The Iron Man trilogy is one of Paltrow’s best career moves to keep herself in the spotlight, while acting and having a fun. She boasted her pipes in Glee and reaffirmed them with Country Strong. Paltrow took on the Janet Leigh/Drew Barrymore type opening victim of Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion. I’m fond of Paltrow’s work in Bounce, Possession, Great Expectations, and Emma as well. In classifying Paltrow, I stand by calling her a star who just happens to be very talented. A star to me is someone who can lift with a film with their presence alone and, also someone who can conquer interviews with charm.
Gwyneth Paltrow is somewhat of an outsider because of the powerful hate of Internet anti-fans. Maybe that’s why I clicked so well with her, she’s hated by people who have no idea who she is. As I mentioned in the first paragraph, her People interview changed my life because I started seeing myself with clarity. I watched everything I could of Paltrow’s interviews and life and that brought me closer to my soul. Gwyneth taught me that when people hate you when they don’t know you, it’s not worth letting it get to you. They’re seeing a projection of themselves and putting it on an image they see of you.
Gwynnie taught me that hard work is key. If you want something, you need to chase after it until you can grab it by the balls. You have to really want something to get it, nothing’s going tho magically come your way. Prove yourself. No one is going to hand you anything, it’s about putting the time and effort into something you are passionate about. goop actually inspired me to start my own blog, her cook books and stories of her father urged me to eat healthy, and her very public statements about her collaborations with Tracy Anderson made me care about exercising and staying fit.
“Love is the only thing that matters in life, the only thing, you just fall in love with as many things as possible,” is wisdom that Paltrow’s character passes on in Country Strong. Gwyneth has taught me that life is about love and sharing yourself with people you love. Her father, Bruce Paltrow, is the man who taught her this meaning of life, you can feel the love she has for her father from every memoir page of her first cookbook, My Father’s Daughter. She’s a woman who loves her children, husband, and friends; she’s not sending negativity into the world like she often gets accused of doing.
Paltrow’s life isn’t perfect by any means, she’s not perfect, but she tries to be an a ally and example for people to follow (specifically with her cookbooks and goop site). If we had more celebrities that tried to help their fans the world could be a better place. Gwyneth has brought me closer to who I am, has made me fall in love with trying new foods, and transformed my body. The media is always the first to be blamed with influencing bad behavior, so why not try to send out good vibes instead?
Feel the Films: A Blog by R.C.S. -> http://feelthefilms.wordpress.com/