According to Odell, Weinstein took a call from Paltrow after the 1996 Academy Award nominations were announced. “Gwyneth Paltrow got robbed,” he repeated into the phone to the actor. “Gwyneth Paltrow got robbed.” An excerpt from the book (via Variety) reads, “Miramax staff who overheard the conversation didn’t know what he was talking about. They had been focused on promoting The English Patient, nominated for 12 awards, and Sling Blade. They hadn’t thought of Gwyneth as much of a contender for Emma. But the conversation made it seem like Weinstein had promised Gwyneth a nomination, and now he’d failed her.”
Paltrow didn’t give Odell any access for the book, but the author reportedly drew from more than 200 interviews with people who know or have worked with the star. That includes some statements from Weinstein, who infamously did manage to get Paltrow an Oscar for Shakespeare In Love. “I reached out to Harvey Weinstein’s rep and he disputes Gwyneth’s characterization of their relationship as abusive,” Odell told Vulture, referencing how Paltrow came forward about Weinstein’s behavior amid the burgeoning #MeToo movement. “According to him, Gwyneth recommended Winona Ryder for Shakespeare in Love, although the director of the film, John Madden, said Gwyneth was the only person they wanted for Viola, so it doesn’t sound like Winona was ever really that much in contention.”
In 2017, Paltrow revealed she had been sexually harassed by Weinstein; in return, her then-boyfriend Brad Pitt threatened the producer. Paltrow said that after the men’s altercation, Weinstein called her to verbally berate her and threatened to fire her from Emma, the same film he’d later claim should have earned her an Oscar nomination. Paltrow continued to work with his studio Miramax for several years, though even then, she would publicly allude to Weinstein’s bullying behavior behind the scenes. But Weinstein denies that his own behavior was the reason their working relationship concluded. “According to Harvey Weinstein through his rep, Gwyneth wanted her brother, Jake, to write and produce an adaptation of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History. Weinstein had paid a lot of money to acquire those rights, and he ended up not going through with that project with her brother writing and directing,” Odell explained to Vulture. “He said that contributed to a deterioration of their relationship, and he also said there was a financial element to it because his movies capped out at $25 million, and after she won her Oscar, she was earning $8 to $10 million. She was outpaced from working on indies, but she really thrived doing those movies.”
