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Back in November, Gwyneth Paltrow told Chelsea Handler that she asked Robert Downey Jr. (who starred in those Iron Man movies with her) to help her understand addiction so that she could convincingly play an addict on screen. She told Chelsea that she e-mailed RDJ and he sent her a great response that went a long way in helping her get into character. She said “I actually e-mailed Robert Downey Jr., he’s been sober for a long time. But I was like ‘explain to me addiction,’ and he wrote me the most amazing e-mail and it really helped me understand it.”
Paltrow recently told this same story to Reuters, only in her latest version Downey was “so articulate” as if she had a conversation with him about it:
“I just couldn’t understand how you could be so drunk that you could wreck people’s lives and then wake up the next day and pretend everything was fine,” the actress, 38, told Reuters. “I struggled with that.”
To prepare, Paltrow turned to her “Iron Man” co-star Robert Downey Jr., who has recovered from addictions in his own life to stage a career comeback.
“I asked Robert, ‘How does this work?’” said Paltrow. “He was really articulate about addiction and the psychology behind it. He really helped me a lot.”
[From Reuters via Huffington Post]
Am I nitpicking by pointing out that she’s calling him “articulate,” as if to suggest that they spoke about it? Probably, but when Goop is name dropping it’s only natural to question her. Remember when she called Billy Joel “William” and his rep was all “no one calls him William“? Now she had an imaginary conversation with her good friend RDJ about how she could never fathom hurting anyone like he did, and would he care to explain it to her?
Toward the end of this interview, Gwyneth said that she just loves country music, because “I love how authentic it is. I find it homey and comforting. It’s about being who you are, full of soul and truth.”
Gwynnie is full of something, but it ain’t truth. Maybe this woman believes her own hype though, and constructed a whole back and forth conversation with RDJ in her head from his e-mail, just like she gave Billy Joel his own little pet name, one she considered more dignified than his real one.
Photos of Goop and RDJ are from 4/26/10 and 4/22/10. Photos of just Goop are from today, 1/3/10, outside Good Morning America. Compare her old vs. new face. Credit: WENN.com
Written by Celebitchy
Posted in Gwyneth Paltrow, Robert Downey Jr.
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66 Responses to “Gwyneth Paltrow changes her story on how Robert Downey Jr taught her about addiction”
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Yeah, too nitpicky. But that’s my 2 cents.
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Maybe nitpicky but Goopy still should be called out for her utter goopidity.
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What is the release date for cunty strong,
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Maybe you are nitpicking… but when I first heard this story, I thought it was pretty uncool of her to pimp RDJ’s addiction out for her benefit. IMHO You don’t talk about what he shared with you as a friend to make yourself sound good. On top of that “I couldn’t understand how someone could blah blah…” with that statement she is putting herself above addiction… so she’s even slightly judging him. Uncool! Or as GOOP would rather was say, UNCOUTH.
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One can be articulate on paper, so I really don’t think this means anything.
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Nitpicking, but I don’t care for her either.
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Well, me and my friends e-mail each other back and forth and it feels like we’re having a conversation so yes, you’re nitpicking.
I do agree with the “believing her own hype” theory and that she’s an insufferable bitch. Plus, I don’t think she’s a good actress (just my opinion, people!).
EDIT: Just read Whitenoise’s comment (below mine) and yes, it’s pretty much the way she says it (every single word).
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You are nit-picking – but then she does bring out the inner, irritated, eye-rolling nit-picker most every time she opens her mouth, so tough, her own fault.
There’s just something so drearily smug and insincere about her.
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Could she be any more pretentious?
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Lol I just remembered on one of the late night shows when she dropped Jay-Z’s name. She was talking about how whenever her son hears rap or hip hop he asks if it is ‘Uncle Jay-Z.’ So I guess she is best friends with him too.
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“she asked Robert Downey Jr. (who starred in those Iron Man movies with her)”
*snicker*
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MoMo, did she say Uncle Jay-Zed? She is a Brit after all! Pretentious, talentless, bland sack of hot air. Of course, not the air that us plebes breathe, but organic oxygen in sterling silver cannisters that one may purchase at a perfectly charming boutique for only a few pounds.
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Your assuming that she knows the actual meaning of articulate let alone how to spell it.
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***eye roll***
barf.
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Yeah, a little nitpicky… BUT Goopy deserves it. She’s annoying. Plus? It’s kinda douchey the way she talks about RDJ’s addiction publicly for her benefit – so she can name-drop. Bugs me.
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Yeah, CB, you’re nitpicking but go one with your bad self. Nitpick all you want. Lord knows, Gwennie does.
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Yeah, you’re nitpicking, but I don’t blame you. Gwyneth is such an a**hole.
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Nitpicky, but funny nonetheless. And I never get tired of the “William” Joel story.
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Man, she is annoying.
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So is Goopy so low on the A list that this cornball “Country Strong” movie with a badly touped Tim McGraw was the best she could get?! Everytime I see a clip on TV I’m astounded. I mean, this movie has Leann Rimes name all over it! It’s a L.O.N.G. fall from Shakespeare in Love.
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Really, Gwennie?
“I just couldn’t understand how you could get all drunk and ruin people’s lives, so I called my buddy RDJ and asked how he did it.”
Now, pardon me for being Southern, but that’s just bad manners to DO much less to TALK about doing it on every press junket for your crappy little movie.
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@bite me…lol!!!
seems like there were rumors about her being all over rdj to the point of uncomfortable when she did that movie with him.
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@rockandroll
As a Brit we would pronounce Jay Z as in Zee, since that is his name but it would be hilarious if she did say Zed
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Well, she is friends/friendly with some of these fellow celebs. Although she is a tad self aggrandizing, to my knowledge she’s not been called out for blatant lying. To be honest, I think she’s yet another celeb who’s not all that bright.
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Yes, a bit nit picky, IMO.
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ya,=…really it’s not cool to bring up someone else’s embarrassing and ashamed past…I mean really.
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Hey Gwinnie, in the eloquent words of Cee Lo, “f*** You!”
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I wonder if Goopy has ever inhaled, cough cough.
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You’re being nitpicky. The term doesn’t apply only to spoken language; it applies to a range of concepts and constructs. It refers to clarity in any context.
However, Gwyneth is namedropping at the expense of RDJ’s efforts to rebuild his image, and it’s an awful thing to do – selfish and annoying.
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Lol- She managed to pronounce his name as he pronounces it: Jay-’Zee’
Here is a short article about it.
http://www.rap-up.com/2009/06/05/gwyneth-paltrows-son-calls-jay-z-uncle-jay/
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Yeah, too nit-picky. Why does it sound like she spoke to him just because she said he was articulate? One can be articulate in any sort of communication–
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FAKE FAKE FAKE– but are we surprised? C’mon.
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pick away, paltry deserves it.
i come here for the bitchy of celebitchy.
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—Toward the end of this interview, Gwyneth said that she just loves country music, because “I love how authentic it is. I find it homey and comforting. It’s about being who you are, full of soul and truth.”—
Has she ever mentioned before making this movie that she loves country music???
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Over rated, pretentious & goodness, what did she do to her face?
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She’s so lifelike
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She’s so lifelike
ROTFL!
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Why does everyone pick on this woman? Who even cares? Do you really think she is lying about asking Robert Downey Jr about addiction? I think the person who wrote this article needs a psychiatric evaluation. I really do not know why people hate on this woman so much.
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She couldn’t understand addiction? Well, ACT like you do. PRETEND you are an addict. Isn’t that your job? What they hand out the Oscars for?
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It’s called research. It’s called doing your job. That’s how people get oscars brainiac.
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You’re nitpicking.
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Do NOT like her. That is all.
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Oh, well, nice to have the chance to see RDJ’s pics.
Happy New Year.
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“I think the person who wrote this article needs a psychiatric evaluation.”
bahahahahahaha i think “amanda” is goop in disguise. sure it’s nitpicky but it’s GOOP she has put herself in the firing line by rowing her goop canoe all over town. she’s so self righteous.
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I don’t think she changed her story, but I do find the name dropping annoying. She could have just said “I talked to people who have been through it” but instead had to name drop the most famous “friend” she could think of. And I agree with Mia Girl, it seems wrong of her to pimp out his story for her own sake.
Every time I see something about this movie, I think of it as “Crazy Heart for Girls” which is what I imagine made her do the movie, anticipating heaps of praise and awards, but it doesn’t seem to be happening.
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Oh, come on! Isn´t perfectly possible that they talked about addiction in person AND via e-mail?
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Kevin:
January 3rd, 2011 at 11:31 am
Hey Gwinnie, in the eloquent words of Cee Lo, “f*** You!”
Known to young Moses as ‘Uncle Cee Lo’.
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she may not be lying about asking the lovely and glorious RDJ about addiction, but who talks like this “explain to me addiction” give me a break.
and of course he’s articulate – have you ever read, seen or listened to an interview with him? he is actually talented and intelligent.
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How does saying Robert is articulate mean Gwyn is changing her story? You can be articulate in emails/letters.
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I do belivee her Madonna are friends,they are probably the only ones that can stand each other. They probably spend hours snorting and drinking about things,they have “never” done.
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No you are not nick picking about Goop’s pretentious continuous use of MY HUSBAND (LOL) Robert Downey Jr. GP should stop name dropping. She is so irritating to me. (And I used to like her…..waaaaayyyyy back in the beginning.)
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yes nitpicky but she so deserves it.
“I don’t really have drunk friends. My friends are kind of adult; they have a drink. But they hold their liquor. I think it’s incredibly embarrassing when people are drunk. It just looks so ridiculous. I find it very degrading. I think, ooh, you’re really degrading yourself right now, to be this pissed out in public.”
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“He was really articulate about addiction and the psychology behind it.”
if they are such good friends then why is she seemingly surprised that RDJ is articulate? insufferable, name dropping twat.
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What actually happened is RDJ emailed Goopy and asked “Explain to me condescension, being as how you’re the expert.”
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I don’t listen to anything snobby chops says cuz it’s all bs. She’s a phoney baloney. She probably got high with him to learn about addiction.
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Or when she called Anthony Hopkins, “Antony” in this prissy little pseudo-british accent. The look on his face was priceless. But yeah, you are nit-picking a little. She probably meant that his email was really articulate.
You are right about other things though, like the name dropping. She does it ALL the time.
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Who is she going to explain narcissism to? UGH.
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@ i choose me: i would loooove to see that clip of fishsticks & “antony” hopkins! do you remember where you saw it?
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That is so rude to ask Robert Downey Jr. about addiction. Yeah, it played out publicly but if she was a real friend she would ask quietly, if she’s not that close you don’t ask an actor of his stature stuff like that in an email.
Then when he graciously answers she goes out of her way to tell the world about it?
She says nothing helpful, only name drops him and mentions how great it helped her do an amazingly wonderful acting job.
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Why didn’t she ask “Uncle William” Joel about alcoholism and wrecking stuff? He is a pro at that stuff. Goop makes my bottom pucker.
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Believing in your hype is just an outworking of insecurity and low self-esteem. I know – I used to be all that, and I bet I came off looking and sounding as insufferable and insincere as Goopy does to a lot of people. You don’t mean to be a hypocrite but, yes, you’re actually blind to the level of deception you practise on yourself. What happened to me was that I got a kick up the bum (ah that quaint Aussie phrase!), lost some friends who weren’t really friends to begin with, and got some perspective and a huge serving of humble pie.
LOL
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@original kate. It was the 2006 Golden Globe awards where she presented him with the Cecil B. DeMille award. I’ll see if I can find the clip.
Anthony was a class act of course, though he looked a little awkward when she also called him ‘the greatest actor of our generation’ But I don’t know if that was on the teleprompter or she threw that in herself. Ugh! Hopkins is a terrific actor and seems like a lovely man but the climb-up-the-assness of these award shows make me gag.
Edit: Found the clip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOB7ybThRBY Eh, it wasn’t as bad as I remember it. I think maybe it was conflated in my mind because she’s so insufferable sometimes. He was asked about it later though when he was talking to the press afterwards. They asked if his name is pronounced Antony. He said no but that he likes to be called Tony. And that there was nothing wrong with it (i.e. he wasn’t making a big deal about the pronunciation) as he lives in America now. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKH2GuBiwXE
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@truthzbetta EXACTLY!
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with all his addictions, why can’t he be addicted TO ME
*pouts*
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@ i choose me: thanks for the clip – god she is insufferable. that weird accent she was sporting was a hybrid of british, irish and valley girl.
love me some anthony hopkins, though.
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She really has it in her to be Amy Sedaris level of intensely entertaining in a Martha Stewart kind of package. I think that would be really fun to observe over an extended period of time – I mean DECADES. I don’t find Rachel Ray watchable but opinionated AND blessed by life is really fun coming out of Gwyneth Paltrow’s mouth. We have angelic Beyonce and startling Lady Gaga but there is really a niche that Gwyneth Paltrow could fill with a devil may care Dorothy Parker but in FREE couture style. It would be AWESOME like a real life glammy gossip girl.
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