Gwyneth Paltrow had a prolific acting career, but for many she will forever be remembered for the work she did within the MCU. Paltrow played Pepper Potts, love interest to Robert Downey Jr. 's Tony Stark for over ten years. The Se7en star retired from acting after Avengers: Endgame to put all her energy into her lifestyle brand, Goop, but that hasn’t stopped her from being supportive of her performing pals. She recently made her own prediction about the 2024 Oscar nominations, in particular about RDJ’s run, and I think many would agree.
The Emma actress recently did a Q and A with her social media followers where she answered questions about Goop products, as well as questions about life post-acting career. One fan asked Paltrow if she believed that Downey would take home Oscar gold next weekend for his work in Oppenheimer. The a-lister did not hesitate, saying that she had “no doubt” her former co-star would be an Academy Award winner very soon. You can see her response from her Instagram story below:
Listen, I love that she still continues to have her old friend's back. Paltrow is an Oscar winner herself, as she won a gold statue in 1999 for her performance in Shakespeare in Love. She clearly knows what goes into winning an Oscar campaign, and believes the Iron Man star has the juice. Her prediction is well-founded, as so far Downey has taken home almost every major film award and Academy precursor one could possibly receive.
The Marvel alum has some competition with Ryan Gosling’s Ken and great performances from other all stars like fellow "Avenger" Mark Ruffalo and legend Robert De Niro, who were in Poor Things and Killers of the Flower Moon, respectively.
However, if I’m a betting (wo)man, Robert Downey Jr.’s campaign has been nothing short of perfection. If he does win, as Paltrow also believes, it’ll be well deserved. Not only was his performance in Oppenheimer spectacular, but he's had a robust acting career throughout most of his life. Many feel the award would not only be celebrating his contribution to Oppenheimer, but also be symbolic recognition for his incredible previous work.
This kind of shout out from the actress shows the bond these two megastars shared on-screen extended to their off-screen partnership. The actress once admitted that even though she is retired from the craft, RDJ could convince Paltrow to return to the silver screen. This really speaks to how much she enjoyed working with her famously witty scene partner. I think many fans would agree that seeing them perform together again would be a real treat. Even if her acting days are truly behind her, it’s still great to see her supporting Robert Downey Jr. on his tremendous year.
You can check out Robert Downey Jr.’s Academy Award nominated performance in Oppenheimer, which is currently streaming for Peacock subscribers if you missed out on Christopher Nolan’s box office phenomenon. Marvel fans can also revisit Gwyneth Paltrow and RDJ’s electric chemistry in the Iron Man films, which are now available with a Disney+ subscription.
