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Gwyneth Paltrow is a controversial figure in pop culture. While she rose to fame as an actor, over the past decade, Paltrow has become notorious for her lifestyle brand, Goop, and has weathered several claims of promoting pseudoscience. A few years ago, Paltrow publicly announced she was taking a step back from acting to focus on Goop. However, the actor and businesswoman recently shared she fully expects to return to the acting business at some point — if only to fulfill a promise that she made to her mom, Blythe Danner. 

Gwyneth Paltrow followed her mom, Blythe Danner, into show business

gwyneth paltrow mom blythe danner
Actress Gwyneth Paltrow (L) and her mother actress Blythe Danner pose at the 2004 Crystal & Lucy Awards – “A Family Affair: Women in Film Celebrates The Paltrow Family” at the Century Plaza Hotel on June 18, 2004 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Gwyneth Paltrow was born in 1972, the daughter of actor Blythe Danner and director Bruce Paltrow. As a child, she was exposed to the entertainment business, developing a love for performing early. According to IMDb, Paltrow was particularly inspired by Danner, who has received critical acclaim for her work in television and on stage. Paltrow’s acting debut arrived in 1989. The young woman appeared in a TV movie, High, directed by her father.

By the mid-90s, Paltrow was a big star in Hollywood. She landed a string of starring roles in movies like Emma, Great Expectations, A Perfect Murder, and Shakespeare in Love. She went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in Shakespeare in Love. Throughout the early 2000s, Paltrow continued her hot streak, appearing in everything from comedy to drama. 

What did Gwyneth Paltrow say about the promise she made to her mother?

In 2008, Paltrow launched her lifestyle brand Goop. Beginning as a newsletter, Goop ultimately expanded. There’s now a large, web-based store, a podcast, a Netflix show, and even a flagship store in New York. Paltrow has focused a lot of time and attention on Goop, and several years ago, she revealed that she would be taking a break from acting to focus on Goop. However, fans shouldn’t discount seeing Paltrow in future acting projects.

In a recent TODAY interview, Paltrow opened up about a return to acting. “It’s funny, I don’t daydream about the movie business at all,” Paltrow said. “But, you know, I did promise my mother that at some point before I die, I told her that I would go and do a play. So I’m going to deliver on that promise at some point.” Notably, Danner herself is still acting, appearing in various TV productions.

Gwyneth Paltrow has taken breaks from acting before

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Paltrow has never formally retired from acting. But she did announce in 2017 that she wanted to step away from the industry. However, she has since appeared in several projects, including a small role in Avengers: Endgame. But Paltrow has openly discussed why she believes that taking a break was the right decision for her. In a December 2020 interview with Bruce Bozzi, Paltrow admitted, “Part of the shine of acting wore off, you know, being in such intense public scrutiny, being a kid who’s like living every breakup on every headline, like being criticized for everything you do, say and wear.”

According to USA Today, Paltrow noted that she no longer found joy in the “transitory” nature of the acting profession. She preferred to stay at home with her children. “So I’m still trying to parse out what came from what, and you know, where, how my life changed course,” she said. While Paltrow will likely return to the stage or screen in some capacity in the near future, fans shouldn’t expect the acclaimed actor to return to acting full-time.

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