Academy Award-winning actress and entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow P’28 sat down with President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 on Saturday evening for a sold-out Family Weekend keynote that touched on career lessons and hinted that she may appear in another Marvel movie.
Paltrow, whose breakout roles in “Shakespeare in Love” and “Emma” put her on the map, is also the founder and CEO of the lifestyle brand Goop.
Paxson, welcoming Paltrow onstage, described the actress as “one of the most recognizable and respected artists of her generation.”
Paltrow’s opening remarks centered on her experience as the parent of a Brown student. For her and her son Moses Martin ’28, Brown “kept rising to the top of the list” during his college search due to students’ reputation of “reimagining the status quo” — something she has aimed to do throughout her career.
The actress said that Brown alums, including her sister-in-law Taryn Simon ’97, consistently possess “a bit of punk rock in their thinking.”
As a parent of two college students, Paltrow explained her approach to reframing the “empty nest” analogy into one of empowerment: Rather than leaving a gap, an empty nest ushers in a “free bird” phase of life, she said.
For some parents in the audience, it was easy to relate to Paltrow’s admission that she is “finding it difficult” to have an empty home for the first time.
“She’s such a celebrity and icon, but I found her really relatable and thoughtful, and I appreciated how she was able to convey that,” Nancy Pandhi P’28 said.
As the conversation shifted to Paltrow’s career as founder and CEO of lifestyle, clothing and wellness brand Goop, the entrepreneur emphasized the utility of reinvention.
For Paltrow, college represents an “incredible opportunity to reinvent yourself.” Having left the University of California, Santa Barba before leaving to pursue acting, Paltrow’s own reinvention came with founding her own company.
“At the time, it was very rare and very odd, and people didn’t understand what I was doing,” Paltrow said. “I had to force people to consider me in a different way.”
In the conversation, Paltrow also noted her desire to always be “in a state of learning.” Touching on the process of launching Goop, Paltrow described learning how to balance “instinct and product,” or deciding how to create products while navigating what consumers want versus the kinds of products she wants to put out.
“We kind of let society dictate to us who we’re supposed to be, and that we have to follow a certain path,” she added. “I’ve always gotten an incredible amount of energy from questioning that.”
Over time, Paltrow said her perspective on success has shifted to be the “health of the relationships” in her life, she added.
Paltrow also hinted at future projects during the question-and-answer portion of the event.
“I might be in another Marvel movie,” Paltrow said. The actress previously appeared as Pepper Potts in the “Iron Man” movies and the “Avengers” series.
“I loved that she was so open and willing to answer questions, and she did so beautifully. I just loved listening to her,” said Kathy Wisthoff, a grandparent of a Brown student and event attendee.
“I feel like I learned so much, whether it’s getting through the criticism that she mentioned and being in the public eye for so long or just transitioning your life throughout different phases,” said Talib Reddick ’26, president of the Undergraduate Council of Students.
