Mr. and Mrs. Smith might be more remembered for the drama it caused behind the scenes than for its actual story. The Brad Pitt feature started Pitt’s relationship with Angelina Jolie, which was a hot topic for years. But if the Mr. and Mrs. Smith director Doug Liman originally had it his way, the film would’ve seen Gwyneth Paltrow as Pitt’s co-star.
How long were Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Pitt together?
Gwyneth Paltrow met Brad Pitt on the set of Se7en in 1994. It was a serious relationship for them both that lasted for 3 years. Pitt even took the time to thank his girlfriend when he won a Golden Globe for Twelve Monkeys in 1996, calling her his “angel, the love of my life, according to E Online.
Paltrow, although 22 at the time, was at one point sure she was going to marry Pitt.
“I take the institution extremely seriously,” Paltrow said. “There are no divorces in my family either- and in his either, so this is not something – we’ve been together for quite some time, so this is not a rash decision.”
However, their relationship ended before they ever said their wedding vows. Paltrow felt that their love affair didn’t go the distance, in large part, due to her immaturity.
“I was such a kid,” Paltrow told Howard Stern (via VanityFair) “I was 22 when we met. It’s taken me until 40 to get my head out of my ass. You can’t make that decision when you’re 22 years old…I wasn’t ready, and he was too good for me…I didn’t know what I was doing.”
She later remarked that they didn’t hang out, but they were still friendly whenever they ran into each other. This friendliness was almost put to the test in Mr. and Mrs. Smith, where Paltrow was almost cast because of her relationship with Pitt.
‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’ director wanted Gwyneth Paltrow to play Mrs. Smith to use her break-up with Brad Pitt in the movie
According to Entertainment Weekly, director Doug Liman floated the idea of casting Gwyneth Paltrow in the hit spy film. He thought that casting Paltrow would’ve given Mr. and Mrs. Smith a spark that would enhance the film at the time.
“Because they’re really exes. Think of the spectacle of that,” Liman said about the idea. “Fireworks could really fly in that situation. Because I’m sure there’s some s- one of them was mad at the other for. You find out what that baggage is and bring it out at the right moment, with the camera rolling.”
But the idea was nipped in the bud by executives, who thought he was going a little too far with the concept.
“My producers were like, ‘Look, that’s a great idea. But Brad is a human being. Even if he was game for it, it’s wrong for us to put him in a situation where he’s going to have to relive the demons of a relationship. That’s just a little bit too mad-scientist.”
Liman gave up on Paltrow afterward. After combing through a couple of other actors, he eventually settled on Jolie as Pitt’s love interest.
Gwyneth Paltrow almost turned down ‘Shakespeare in Love’ because of her break-up with Brad Pitt
The break-up between Paltrow and Pitt affected the Iron Man 3 star so much that she nearly parted ways with her Oscar-winning role. When the script for Shakespeare in Love floated her way, Paltrow admitted her rough patch made her hesitant to star in the movie.
“I was in the middle of a terrible breakup…and the idea of going to England and being far from home just seemed…I didn’t even read it,” Paltrow told Variety.
Eventually, Paltrow did end up reading the script after all and fell in love with the story.
“I just couldn’t put it down,” she said. “It was perfect.”
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