Gwyneth Paltrow Talks Goop, ‘Masquerading as an Actor’ and Psychedelics as the Next Wellness Craze

While she has not officially retired from Hollywood, Gwyneth Paltrow isn’t in many movies these days, and now it seems that perhaps acting wasn’t ever her first love, as she recently sat down with The New York Times and not only revealed just that but also touched on many different topics regarding her successful lifestyle company, Goop.

“I was masquerading as an actor,” the 46-year-old told the outlet when asked if she saw herself as an actor who developed a career as a lifestyle entrepreneur or vice versa. The Oscar winner is much more about Goop these days than any other role, as she’s been the face of the brand since 2008.

“We want to always be moving culture forward with what we do in the content and in the offerings and also create conversations and forums to help eliminate shame,” the Shakespeare in Love star said of her company. “I think a lot of women experience a lot of shame in their lives. The more we talk about things that are sometimes uncomfortable, that are sometimes unknown, it might resonate with somebody. And then we might help them shed a little bit of that feeling.” And what is one way Gwyneth is moving her company forward? By perhaps tinkering with psychedelics.

“I think how psychedelics affect health and mental health and addiction will come more into the mainstream,” she said, admitting that she’s “terrified” to try it. Gwyneth’s company has gone through some trials and tribulations since it was introduced to the masses — from lawsuits due to false advertising to being labeled an elitist brand, the latter which the Ironman actress touched on during the interview.

“A lot of people hear, ‘Hey, you could eat a bit better or exercise a bit more.’ But they don’t want to take responsibility for themselves,” she explained. “So it’s easier to be critical of an entity or a person who is suggesting that, than it is to start making small, perhaps uncomfortable shifts in their lives … The true tenets of wellness are all free. Being in nature, meditating, eating whole foods. If you told our grandparents that eating whole, natural foods was elitist, they would have thought you were crazy.”

But even with ten years of CEO experience, Gwyneth has had to unlearn a couple of things along the way. “When a start-up starts, it’s full of feminine energy, even if it’s an all-male start-up. Right? Because it’s collaborative, it’s emotional, it’s passionate, it’s instinctual.” she said. “Those are all feminine qualities. And then as it scales, you have to put some rules in place. And so that’s where the masculine comes in. And you have compliance and H.R. and all these things that are putting structure to the business, which is super important.”

The mother-of-two added, “So unlearning some of the old kind of feminine ways, trying to apply the right kind of masculinity, and seeing if it’s possible to really still lead from that feminine place, is what I think about.”