Gwyneth Paltrow shades superhero movies despite being Marvel’s Pepper Potts

She’s not about to be a caped crusader for the genre. 

Gwyneth Paltrow, 51, who played Pepper Potts in the “Iron Man” movies with Robert Downey Jr., had some fighting words for superhero movies during an appearance on the popular YouTube show “Hot Ones.” 

During Thursday’s episode, host Sean Evans, 37, asked Paltrow about remarks that “American Fiction” director Cord Jefferson made during his Oscars acceptance speech.

“There are so many people out there who want the opportunity that I was given,” Jefferson said during the 2024 Academy Awards, adding that he understands that Hollywood is a “risk-averse” industry.

“But a 200 million-dollar movie is also a risk,” he said, seemingly referring to superhero movies.

“I absolutely understand where he’s coming from,” Paltrow said.

 “… If I look at the industry as a whole, this big push into superhero movies … you can only make so many good ones that feel truly original,” she continued.

“And yet they’re still always trying to reach as many people as possible, which sometimes hinders quality or specificity or real point of view.”

Paltrow appeared in the “Iron Man” films, as well as in other MCU films like “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and “Avengers: Endgame.”

This isn’t the first time “The Talented Mr. Ripley” star has shaded superhero movies. 

Paltrow barely can recall some of her appearances in the Marvel franchise. In 2019, she completely forgot she appeared as Pepper Potts in 2017’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming.”

“Spider-Man?” Paltrow said while appearing on “Iron Man” director Jon Favreau’s and chef Roy Choi’s Netflix cooking series “The Chef Show.”

She added: “We weren’t in Spider-Man.”

“Yes, we were. You were in Spider-Man,” Favreau replied.

She also previously confessed on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” about “Spider Man,” starring Tom Holland, “I never actually saw the movie.”

During a 2017 interview with Elle, Paltrow said about the MCU movies, “To be honest, I haven’t seen very many of them. It’s really stupid and I’m sorry, but I’m a 47-year-old mother.”

Paltrow married producer Brad Falchuk in 2018 and is a stepmom to his two kids — daughter Isabella, 19, and son Brody, 17. She and her ex-husband, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, are parents to daughter Apple, 19, and son Moses, 17.

In April 2023, Paltrow also joked about being too old for superhero movies. 

“I think so. I mean, I didn’t die, so they can always ask me,” the “Shakespeare in Love” actress told “Avengers” co-star Scarlett Johansson during an episode of Paltrow’s “Goop
podcast.

“I think you may come back at some point,” Johansson, 39, replied, referring to Paltrow’s potential return as Pepper Potts in the superhero franchise.

Paltrow then joked: “Really? A 64-year-old Pepper Potts? How great.”

During her “Hot Ones” appearance, Paltrow added, “You get more diversity of art when there is less at stake and people can express their true voice and make a film the way they want to make it. Those are generally the more resonant ones.”