Gwyneth Paltrow Felt Like She Was ‘Too Old’ to Continue Acting in Marvel Movies
Gwyneth Paltrow became a part of Marvel lore after playing businesswoman Pepper Potts in the superhero franchise. But at one point, Paltrow quipped that she was getting up there in age, which might’ve cut her Marvel run short.
Gwyneth Paltrow wasn’t sure she had a place in future Marvel films
Gwyneth Paltrow has been a member of the Marvel family for as long as Robert Downey Jr. has. Since her debut in 2008’s Iron Man, she’s appeared in multiple Marvel films throughout her career. She was first attracted to the film and franchise because of the team she’d be collaborating with.
“Firstly, I always wanted to work with Robert Downey Jr. Also, if someone calls you and says ‘Jon Favreau is directing a movie with Robert Downey Jr, Terence Howard and Jeff Bridges,’ I mean, how do you say no to that? It’s such an amazing group of people,” she once told Cinema.
At the time, Paltrow had some idea of what she was getting into. She knew she already signed up for a potential Iron Man 2. And although she wasn’t completely sure, Paltrow believed she also signed up for Iron Man 3 as well. Of course, the Iron Man series was also the launchpad for The Avengers, which she made a brief appearance in.
After Iron Man 3, however, Paltrow didn’t know about her or Pepper’s future with the franchise. And she gave a pretty candid remark about it during an interview with E News.
“I just came off of Iron Man 3, which is as special effects-y and action-y as it gets, so to do something like [Thanks For Sharing] where it’s really small, funny and exciting, is really great,” she said. “I don’t know [about The Avengers 2], I’m getting old for this s***, you know what I mean?”
Gwyneth Paltrow didn’t want to just ‘keep sitting there’ in Marvel movies
In the first two Iron Man movies, Paltrow’s Pepper Potts didn’t really contribute much action in the films. But she hoped that would later change as the franchise progressed.
“I don’t want to just keep sitting there,” Paltrow told MTV News back in 2010. “I hope [I get some action scenes], that would be great.”
She hoped the change would happen as early as Iron Man 3. And in the third film, her requests were met when she played a much more pivotal role in the final solo Iron Man feature. Overall, Paltrow enjoyed the development and growth her character experienced throughout the trilogy. It only made Paltrow appreciate Pepper even more.
“I think one of the things that I loved most is that she really steps into her power, in all areas, and you do see her as a very intelligent, articulate CEO. We see her now in an equal relationship with Tony, where she wants her needs met while still remaining a very supportive woman in his life. Then, of course, she turns into a superhero, sort of. It was a great transformation, and I felt really lucky to be a part of it,” Paltrow once told Collider.
Gwyneth Paltrow explained why she keeps forgetting which Marvel movies she starred in
Paltrow has had trouble keeping up with all of the Marvel films she’s been in. She was once shocked to find out that she appeared in Spider-Man Homecoming, and completely forgot Sebastian Stan was a fellow Avenger. But Paltrow was aware that her confusion with the Marvel franchise drew a lot of attention from fans. In an interview for Elle, she addressed the issue.
“I never read stuff,” Paltrow said. “But it is confusing because there are so many Marvel movies, and to be honest, I haven’t seen very many of them. It’s really stupid and I’m sorry, but I’m a 47-year-old mother.”
