Gwyneth Paltrow reveals her identity crisis after winning the Oscar for ‘Shakespeare in Love’: “the amount of attention you receive that night and the weeks that follow… It’s very disorienting. And, frankly, really unhealthy”

First, because it won films like ‘Life is beautiful’ or ‘Saving Private Ryan’ and, later, because of the importance of the figure of Harvey Weinstein on his way to the Oscars, the seven Academy Awards for ‘Shakespeare in love’ have never been widely accepted. Among them stands out that of a Gwyneth Paltrow who established herself as something more than Brad Pitt’s girlfriend thanks to that 1998 film. In February 1999 she was only 26 years old when she won a Best Actress Award against nominees of the stature by Cate Blanchett (for ‘Elizabeth’) and Meryl Streep (‘Things That Matter’).

The Oscar winner (regardless of whom it weighs) has gone to the ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast to talk about how that Oscar led to a deep identity crisis that she defines as “unhealthy”.

Once I won the Oscar I went into a kind of identity crisis, because if you win the biggest prize, what are you supposed to do? And where are you supposed to go? It was hard the amount of attention you get on a night like that and the weeks after that…it’s very disorienting. And frankly, really unhealthy. I was like, ‘This is crazy. I don’t know what to do, I don’t know where is up and where is down.’ It was too much. It’s not that I want to return it or anything, it was an incredible experience, but it gave me doubts about many things.

In her acceptance speech for the award, Paltrow broke down in tears as she dedicated it to her parents, Blythe Danner and Bruce Paltrow, sitting next to her in the stalls (remember, she was no longer dating Brad Pitt).

Paltrow also remembers how he was treated by a press that seemed to support his victory… until he won. At first his chances of winning were a fairy tale, but when they became real, an injustice.

I felt a real change that night because I felt like everyone up to that point was supporting me in some way. And then when I won, it was too much and I could feel a real change.

The media did not know that her father was ill with cancer (he died in 2002) and that carried weight in Paltrow’s mind.

I was really weak. It was that totally overwhelming moment. And, you know, he was 26 years old. I cried and people were really mean about it and I was like, ‘Wow, this big energy shift is happening. I think I’m going to have to learn to be less honest and much more protective of myself and filter people better.’

Paltrow added:

I remember that I was working in England… and I remember that the British press was so horrible to me that I cried. Although they didn’t necessarily know that my father was dying of cancer.

We leave you with the complete interview of “Call Her Daddy” on video.