The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a well-oiled machine at this point, methodically releasing new content in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order will recall how things began with Jon Favreau‘s Iron Man, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow. And the latter actress’ description of what it’s like to film Marvel movies is honestly so on brand. Let’s break it all down.
What we know about Avengers: Doomsday is limited, but fans are wondering if Paltrow might return as Pepper Potts. While we wait to see if whether or not she appears in the upcoming Marvel movie, the actress/Goop creator spoke to LA Times about her tenure in the MCU. As she put it:
I [had been] doing things like Iron Man and The Avengers, which are totally fun, but it’s like doing a TV show where you go back in and you know the character. It’s not that difficult.
Well, that was honest. While Marvel blockbusters have long and grueling hours as well as complicated action sequences, the Oscar-winning actress makes it seem like a breeze. Mostly because she’s able to step back into character as Pepper Potts so easily thanks to how long she’s played that character. And after all, her most recent appearances in the shared universe have largely been cameos rather than starring roles.
Paltrow famously forgot she was in Spider-Man: Homecoming, so her nonchalant way of describing her work in the MCU feels very much on brand. She’s simply not phased by the share universe and its lore the way that fans are. So while other actors have to bulk up and shoot for months, Paltrow simply said “it’s not that difficult.” The comments remind me of Elle Woods famously saying “What, like it’s hard?” in Legally Blonde.
While fans are wondering if Paltrow will appear in Doomsday, the 53 year-old actress returned to acting in a significant way opposite Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme. In the same interview, she shared the nerves she had when starting to shoot that film, saying:
So it had been a really long time, and I was like, ‘How did I used to do this? How are you, like, natural?’ And then I did the camera test and I was really nervous. I felt like a fish out of water. And then luckily the first scene that I shot for real was a scene in the movie where she’s rehearsing a play. And I started in the theater, and I did a million plays before I ever did a film. The camera was far away, and I had my mom’s voice in my head. She’s like, ‘You’re on the boards, you know, just let the energy come through your body.
Given Paltrow’s long resume and Academy Award, it might be surprising that she had these nerves ahead of working on Marty Supreme. But aside from a few Marvel appearances and The Politician (which is streaming with a Netflix subscription) she hasn’t done all that much acting in recent years. Luckily she found a way to overcome these nerves, and broke the internet after shooting a kissing scene with Chalamet.
Paltrow’s tenure a Pepper Potts is currently streaming on Disney+, and Marty Supreme will hit theaters December 25th as part of the 2025 movie release list. We’ll just have to see if/when she returns to the MCU.
