Gwyneth Paltrow
Swaying so slender,/It seemed your long, perfect, American legs/Simply went on up. - Ted Hughes, in a letter to and about Sylvia Plath.
It has been argued that casting Gwyneth as the late US poet (and, allegedly, Wallis Simpson) is out of order. Not because of the nerve the makers have in actually deciding that American women could be portrayed by - Heaven forfend - American women; rather the problem is that Gwyneth is gorgeous, not a word used to describe the author of The Bell Jar and the lady Edward chucked his throne for. Hello! This is the movies, people; we expect this kind of thing. (Gwyneth's fondness for the singer with the chronically tedious Coldplay, on the other hand, is questionable...)
Recommended viewing: Gorgeous Gwyneth made her debut in Shout (see also Heather Graham; both also in Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle), then went on Hook, Malice (see also Nicole Kidman), The Pallbearer, Se7en (although is it okay if I avoid the last fifteen minutes or so? This is the one where Kevin Spacey tells Brad Pitt "And so I took a souvenir..."), Emma, Flesh and Bone, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Hard Eight, Hush, A Perfect Murder, Great Expectations, Shakespeare In Love, Duets* (and the soundtrack album - Gwyneth sings! And not badly either), Bounce, Sliding Doors, The Anniversary Party, The Royal Tenenbaums, Shallow Hal and uncredited in Pootie Tang. She's also appeared as herself in The Intern, Austin Powers in Goldmember (see also Beyonce Knowles) and in voice terms, on not one but two extremely shortlived prime-time animated shows, Clerks: The Animated Series and more surprisingly Gary & Mike. And see the TV movies Deadly Relations (the only time to date she's been with her mother Blythe Danner) and Cruel Doubt; also anyone who videotaped Madonna Meets... Not Us! ("Us!" being comedy duo Mel and Sue - Maddie blew them off, but Gwyneth came to their rescue ("Join me after ER"). I wish I had taped that entire night; Cindy Crawford was on Sky Movies with Fair Game and Liv Tyler on The Movie Channel with Empire Records. Cindy, Liv and Gwyneth at the same time. Sigh...). And her lingerie ads for Marks & Spencer and that Vanity Fair thing she did...
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*The only time she and her father, the late Bruce Paltrow (The White Shadow), worked together professionally - he directed this one.
For more of Gwynnie...
The Lovely Gwyneth Paltrow
Gorgeous Gwyneth Paltrow
Hey, It's Gwyneth Paltrow
Visions Of Gwyneth Paltrow