Gwyneth Paltrow recently reflected on her role in Great Expectations and how she declined a risqué scene with Ethan Hawke.
This film, inspired by Charles Dickens’ classic novel, was released back in 1998 and is nearing its 30th anniversary.
Paltrow, who starred in the film, joined her co-star Hawke for a recent conversation about the production.
During an interview with Vanity Fair, the 53-year-old actress and Hawke reminisced about their first encounter and a particular scene proposal from the film’s director, Alfonso Cuarón.
“Do you remember Alfonso pitching you the love scene?” Hawke inquired, prompting Paltrow to exclaim: “Oh, my God,” as she recalled the director’s suggestion for a scene involving oral sex between their characters.
“I was like, ‘Oh, my God, my father’s going to have a heart attack,'” Paltrow further explained.
Hawke elaborated on the scene by sharing Cuarón’s pitch.
Hawke recalled: “‘The camera is going to go down your belly, and then it’s going to go up your breasts, and then it’s going to go in your face as you reach ecstasy. And then when you reach ecstasy, the light will explode like to the sun!'”
He continued: “And I remember looking at Gwyneth, and Gwyneth is like, ‘Alfonso, I’m never going to do that’.”
Paltrow confessed that she was ‘really self-conscious about my dad and grandfather seeing this kind of stuff’ during the early stages of her career, but her perspective has shifted over time.
“It really bothered me,” she added. “Now, I wouldn’t care.”
Hawke praised Paltrow for handling the delicate situation with grace.
“You had an awareness of the way that the business works, and the ways in which those kinds of images could be manipulated and what it meant to your dad,” Hawke told Paltrow.
In another part of their discussion, the duo reflected on remaining true to their origins.
“We were two extremely idealistic young people who had a great vision for what we wanted to do and how we wanted to contribute,” Hawke remarked.
“And you were never ordinary. You’ve always been you.”
Paltrow responded: “I think we are fundamentally very much the same people. I think, you know, we have had these lives that have taken all kinds of twists and turns, but I think we’ve both remained true to ourselves and who we are.”