Gwyneth Paltrow revealed why she turned down an explicit sex scene with her co-star Ethan Hawke in their 1998 film Great Expectations.
The 53-year-old Oscar winner – who recently posed alongside her lookalike daughter Apple in a sweet snap – opened up about the topic with Hawke as they took part in a joint Vanity Fair interview earlier this month.
The pair had taken on leading roles in the modern adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novel of the same name – with Alfonso Cuaron stepping behind the camera as director.
At one point during their conversation, The Black Phone actor asked his former castmate, ‘Do you remember Alfonso pitching you the love scene?’
‘Oh my God,’ she immediately replied, before recalling how the filmmaker had pitched her doing a scene where she received oral sex from Hawke’s character Finn.
Gwyneth Paltrow then gave insight into why she refused to do the scene and said, ‘I was like, “Oh my God, my father’s going to have a heart attack.’
Hawke then pretended to be Cuaron describing the scene by saying, ‘The camera is going to go down your belly, and then it’s going to go up your breasts.
‘And then it’s going to go in your face as you reach ecstasy. And then when you reach ecstasy, the light will explode like to the sun!’
After the Iron Man actress let out a laugh, he continued, ‘And I remember looking at Gwyneth, and Gwyneth is like, “Alfonso, I’m never going to do that.”‘
The mother-of-two then further explained, ‘But you know, I had, in my early career – I was really self-conscious about my dad and grandfather seeing this kind of stuff. Like, it really bothered me.’
Years later, however, the Goop founder admitted that she ‘wouldn’t care’ now.
Hawke applauded the way the actress had approached turning down the sex scene, adding that she had not done so in a ‘petulant’ way.
But Gwyneth Paltrow expressed, ‘Maybe I was too prudish in the moment. I was definitely worried about it.’
The film – which hit theaters in January 1998 – had additionally starred Hank Azaria, Chris Cooper, Anne Bancroft and Robert De Niro.
The project garnered mixed reviews upon its release but raked in $55 million in the box office with a budget of $25 million.
Also during their chat for Vanity Fair, the pair reflected on their careers in the industry – and staying true to who they are.
Hawke expressed, ‘We were two extremely idealistic young people who had a great vision for what we wanted to do and how we wanted to contribute.’
The actor then told Paltrow, ‘And you were never ordinary. You’ve always been you.’
In return, the Shakespeare In Love star gushed that despite the ups and downs they may have faced, they still ‘remained true to ourselves and who we are.’
The two stars also shared a joke as the topic of Taco Bell came up – which Hawke shared is a fast food chain he enjoys going to.
‘It’s a sickness,’ Gwyneth Paltrow humorously said while glancing at the camera.
The Before Sunrise actor then added, ‘I think it’s remarkable how we haven’t changed… and I’m proud of that.’
Both Hawke and Paltrow have been keeping busy and took on roles in recent films.
The actress portrayed the character of a retired actress and socialite named Kay Stone in Marty Supreme – who was Timothee Chalamet’s love interest in the project.
The sports drama officially hit theaters on Christmas Day and was also Paltrow’s first film in years.
When it came to starring in Marty Supreme, Paltrow told The Hollywood Reporter, ‘So I said yes, and then I was like, “Oh f***, do I remember how to do this?” It had been seven years.
‘But I didn’t get the bug back until I was on set doing the hair-and-makeup test,’ she further recalled.
‘That’s when I was like, “Oh, what is this weird feeling I’m having? Oh my God, this is excitement. I’m actually really excited to be here.”‘
Marty Supreme has garnered critical acclaim as well as a number of award nominations thus far, including a Golden Globe nod for Best Picture.
Hawke also took on the role of Lorenz Hart in the biographical movie Blue Moon – also starring Margaret Qualley, Andrew Scott and Bobby Cannavale.
The movie was released in October and has additionally since received positive acclaim from critics.