‘I’m Never Going To Do That’: Gwyneth Paltrow Explains Why She Turned Down A Sex Scene With Ethan Hawke

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Gwyneth Paltrow, the Oscar-winning actress and founder of Goop, is famous for her work in movies. While she’s stepped back from acting in recent years – though she made a comeback with Marty Supreme – she recently shared a story about her early career. She explained why she refused to film a sexually explicit scene with Ethan Hawke in Great Expectations, and the two actors apparently found the memory quite funny.

I remember when Gwyneth Paltrow was first starting out – long before she became so iconic as Pepper Potts in the Marvel movies (you can watch those on Disney+, by the way!). She worked with some amazing directors early in her career, including Alfonso Cuarón on Great Expectations, which came out in 1998. I was fascinated to read a recent Vanity Fair interview with her and Ethan Hawke where they talked about a scene that was originally much more explicit. Gwyneth actually described how she felt when they first suggested it…

I was like, ‘Oh, my God, my father’s going to have a heart attack.’

It’s completely understandable why she felt that way, especially considering she hadn’t done much acting before. Filming love scenes requires a lot of openness and trust, and this was before there were professionals on set – intimacy coordinators – to help manage those scenes. Gwyneth Paltrow was young, in her twenties, while filming Great Expectations, and she was worried about her father, the director Bruce Paltrow, watching her film a sex scene.

Ethan Hawke revealed in a video the idea Alfonso Cuarón had for a love scene that ultimately didn’t make it into the film adaptation of Great Expectations. According to Hawke, Cuarón described it as:

During the procedure, a camera will be inserted through your abdomen, then positioned to view your breasts and finally focused on your face as you experience peak arousal. At the moment of climax, a bright light will simulate an intense, sun-like burst.

Although the director of the highly praised film Y tu mamá también knew exactly what he wanted for this scene and felt strongly about it, Gwyneth Paltrow didn’t seem very excited about it. The Boyhood actress then continued explaining what happened:

I remember looking at Gwyneth, and Gwyneth is like, ‘Alfonso…I’m never going to do that.’

The movie did have some intimate moments, but Gwyneth Paltrow was assertive early in her career and spoke up about scenes she didn’t want to film. It’s impressive – many young actors trying to make it in Hollywood might feel pressured to go along with anything. Her confidence is admirable.

Gwyneth Paltrow later shared more details about why the intimate scene in Great Expectations caused her concern during filming. She explained that:

When I was first starting out, I used to get really worried about what my dad and grandfather would think if they saw the things I was doing – it honestly stressed me out. But honestly, now? I wouldn’t give it a second thought. I’ve changed a lot, and I just don’t care like I used to.

It’s easy to understand why. Gwyneth Paltrow appears to have grown more self-assured with age and less concerned with her family’s opinions on intimate scenes. For example, she filmed a sex scene with Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme, which generated a lot of media attention.

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2025-12-29 18:11