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Gwyneth Paltrow Recounts Refusing Cuarón’s Proposed Sex Scene in 1998 “Great Expectations

She says she declined out of concern for her father, noting her view has since shifted.

Overview

  • In a Vanity Fair video published Dec. 17, Paltrow and Ethan Hawke revisited the shoot and discussed the scene that never happened.
  • Paltrow says Alfonso Cuarón proposed a moment in which Estella would receive oral sex from Hawke’s character, which she turned down.
  • Hawke recalled the director’s vivid plan for the shot, with the camera tracking her body and a burst of light as ecstasy was reached.
  • Paltrow explained she felt self-conscious early in her career about her dad and grandfather seeing such imagery, adding, “Now, I wouldn’t care.”
  • Hawke praised her firm, non-petulant response, and Paltrow noted she nearly lost the role after a studio figure questioned her looks before Cuarón backed her.