Supporting Actresses

Amy Adams has gotten some of her least favorable reviews for the 2026 sci-fi drama Klara and the Sun, where she plays Chrissie, a grieving mother who bonds with Jenna Ortega's title robot. We're joined by film critic Katie Walsh to talk about Amy being failed by Taika Waititi's script and direction, and why this movie feels like A.I. Artificial Intelligence for dummies. Plus: nefarious emoji choic...

Gwyneth Paltrow reunited with her Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle co-star Jennifer Jason Leigh for the 2001 dramedy The Anniversary Party, where she plays movie star Skye Davidson. We're joined by writer and performer Natalie Walker to talk about Gwyneth's indie actress aspirations, and how this movie was heavily inspired by Cabaret. Plus: dropping acid at the Oscars, having senator hair, and M...

Gwyneth Paltrow went brunette to play grieving widow Abby Janello in the 2000 romantic drama Bounce, starring alongside her recent ex Ben Affleck. We're joined by Not Aspirational host Hannah Aaron Brown to talk about Gwyneth's dogged commitment to playing a normal person, and why this movie represents the last gasp of pre-9/11 cinema. Plus: embracing your inner hoi polloi, making friends on benzo...

Gwyneth Paltrow was supposed to star alongside Brad Pitt in the 2000 musical dramedy Duets, but after they broke up, she was forced to go it alone as Liv Dean, a woman who reunites—and then duets—with her estranged father. We're joined by Blank Check co-host Griffin Newman to talk about Gwyneth giving the worst performance of her career, and how Bruce Paltrow's illness may have made a bad movie ev...

Gwyneth Paltrow's first film after winning the Oscar was the 1999 thriller The Talented Mr. Ripley, where she plays Marge Sherwood, who grows increasingly suspicious of Matt Damon's titular con artist. We're joined by Screen Drafts co-host Clay Keller to talk about Gwyneth's miserable six months in Italy, and why this may just be the best movie in her filmography. Plus: spoiling Argylle, MTV Movie...

Gwyneth Paltrow completed her 1998 five-film run with the period romantic dramedy Shakespeare in Love. She plays aspiring actress and Shakespeare muse Viola de Lesseps, a role which earned her her first (and, to date, only) Academy Award for Best Actress. We're joined by Be Kind Rewind host Izzy Custodio to talk about Gwyneth's most celebrated cinematic achievement, and the way this movie's aggres...

Gwyneth Paltrow's fourth 1998 movie was the thriller A Perfect Murder, a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder. She plays Emily, a U.N. translator who survives her husband's attempt to kill her and then works to uncover his plot. We're joined by writer and Who? Weekly co-host Bobby Finger to talk about Gwyneth taking on a more active role than Grace Kelly's, and how this movie may mark th...

Gwyneth Paltrow went British again for the 1998 romantic dramedy Sliding Doors, where she plays a woman named Helen who is living two different timelines after missing (or not missing) her train. We're joined by writer and film historian Marya E. Gates to talk about Gwyneth embracing dual roles, and why this movie continues to linger in the cultural consciousness. Plus: the invention of stan cultu...

Gwyneth Paltrow's 1998 continued with the Jessica Lange-led thriller Hush, where she plays the terrorized pregnant daughter-in-law Helen. We're joined by writer and Podcast Like It's… co-host Phil Iscove to talk about Gwyneth pretending this movie doesn't exist, and how reshoots deprived us of the over-the-top ending we deserve. Plus: the ugliest house in America, death by bees, and Dakota Johnson...

Gwyneth Paltrow began her jam-packed 1998 with the romantic drama Great Expectations, playing Estella in Alfonso Cuarón's modern-day adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic. We're joined by writer Julieanne Smolinski to talk about Gwyneth leaning into her coldness to play an icy female lead, and why this movie's failure can't really be blamed on Titanic. Plus: horny green dresses, non-committal...

In today's special Patreon preview, we're sharing the latest installment of our What We're Watching series. For August, we're celebrating Hot Anne Hathaway Summer and Hot Tom Holland Summer with our thoughts on The Odyssey, The End of Oak Street, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. We also discuss Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, Insidious: Out of the Further, Buddy, House of the Dragon, The Shard...

In 1997, over a year after its Sundance debut, audiences finally got to see Gwyneth Paltrow as cocktail waitress-slash-sex worker Clementine in Paul Thomas Anderson's first feature, Hard Eight. We're joined by entertainment journalist Adam B. Vary to talk about Gwyneth giving her all to the kind of role she'd never play again, and how this unusually small PTA movie shows hints of the filmmaker he...

Gwyneth Paltrow entered her leading lady era with the 1996 period romantic comedy Emma, where she plays snobbish yet well-intentioned matchmaker Emma Woodhouse. We're joined by film critic and programmer Jourdain Searles to talk about Gwyneth's lauded accent work, and how this movie attempted to do a silly one with Jane Austen. Plus: pretending to eat hot wings, explaining the plot of Jack, and Ch...

Gwyneth Paltrow was essentially bribed into doing the 1996 romantic comedy The Pallbearer, where she plays Julie, the former high school crush of David Schwimmer's Tom. We're joined by The Field Guide to Nepo Babies author Fran Hoepfner to talk about Gwyneth powering through this performance with Emma on her mind, and the eerie plot similarities between this movie and Dear Evan Hansen. Plus: the h...

Just one week after Se7en hit theaters, another Gwyneth Paltrow film was released to a lot less fanfare. In the 1995 dramedy Moonlight and Valentino, she plays Lucy, the virginal younger sister of Elizabeth Perkins' newly widowed Rebecca. We're joined by This Had Oscar Buzz co-host Joe Reid to talk about Gwyneth's exceptional onscreen smoking, and how this movie's incredible cast can't overcome it...

In today's special Patreon preview, we're recapping the season finale of Apple TV's Cape Fear, where Amy Adams plays Anna Bowden, a defense attorney with secrets. We also share our larger thoughts on the series, and discuss whether or not Cape Fear was a good choice for Amy. Plus: Leo season generosity, thirsting over Peter Benchley, and avoiding the Nicole Kidman trap. Join the Patreon: patreon.c...

Gwyneth Paltrow makes the most of her limited screentime in the hit 1995 crime thriller Se7en, where she plays Tracy, the doomed wife of Brad Pitt's Detective Mills. We're joined by podcaster and digital strategist Wynter Mitchell to talk about Gwyneth's performance getting overshadowed by her first tabloid relationship, and the feel-bad vibes of this massively influential film. Plus: suing Jigsaw...

Gwyneth Paltrow's busy 1995 began with the historical drama Jefferson in Paris, where she plays Thomas Jefferson's daughter, Patsy. We're joined by producer and Maximum Film! co-host Drea Clark to talk about Gwyneth's crash course in harpsichord, and why this movie should never have been a Merchant Ivory production. Plus: wife on phone Oscar noms, planting the seeds of Goop, and making Dave Matthe...

Gwyneth Paltrow took a trip back to the 1920s in the 1994 biopic Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, where she plays fictional actress Paula Hunt alongside the real members of the Algonquin Round Table. We're joined by This Had Oscar Buzz co-host Chris Feil to talk about Gwyneth's lack of Tallulah Bankhead vibes, and why this movie is nepo baby "Avengers, assemble." Plus: B-minus accent work, spoi...

Gwyneth Paltrow got her most substantial role—and her first taste of awards buzz—in the 1993 thriller Flesh and Bone, where she plays a petty criminal named Ginnie. We're joined by Gwyneth: The Biography author Amy Odell to talk about Gwyneth having her hair thinned with a razor to look poor, and why this movie feels like Sam Shepard for dummies. Plus: the Best Supporting Actress kiss of death, lo...

In today's special July 4th bonus episode, we're covering the 1972 historical musical 1776, which features Blythe Danner—pregnant with Gwyneth Paltrow—as Martha Jefferson. We talk about the striking resemblance between Blythe and her now much more famous daughter, and how this movie subverts popular perception of the Founding Fathers. Plus: spoiling Hadestown, relitigating Hamilton, and being rais...

Gwyneth Paltrow has a brief part in the 1993 thriller Malice, where she plays doomed college student Paula. We're joined by Screen Drafts host Clay Keller to talk about Gwyneth's first experience as a cadaver, and why this movie makes us deeply nostalgic for an era of high-quality trash. Plus: Bartlett pear Easter eggs, meeting the real Fockers, and being horny for Billy Zane. Join the Patreon: pa...

Gwyneth Paltrow's godfather Steven Spielberg helped her earn her SAG card by casting her in his 1991 fantasy Hook, where she plays the younger version of Maggie Smith's Wendy Darling. We're joined by Vulture critic Roxana Hadadi to talk about Gwyneth's early accent work, and why this movie is divisive even among the millennials who grew up with it. Plus: daddy issues, cozying up to the Saudis, and...

Gwyneth Paltrow made her feature film debut in the 1991 drama Shout, where she plays Rebecca, who gets a single one-word line ("Rebecca"). We talk about Gwyneth pulling focus from Heather Graham in her brief appearances, and why this movie fails as a musical and a romance. Plus: resting your head on pancakes, finding Linda Fiorentino, and a defense of arugula in meatballs. Join the Patreon: patreo...

In today's special Patreon preview, we're recapping the first two episodes of Apple TV's Cape Fear, where Amy Adams plays Anna Bowden, a defense attorney with secrets. Plus: deadnaming streaming services, Chekhov's home renovation, and why we're pro-Ted Levine. Join the Patreon: patreon.com/supportingactresses Follow Supporting Actresses on social: @actressespod Follow Dane on social: @thedanemcdo...