Gwyneth Paltrow is so brave.
While filming an episode of her goop podcast, the actor was asked what she thought her husband, the TV producer Brad Falchuk, loved most about her. Rather than speculate, Paltrow went straight to the source, shooting a text to her partner of nearly 11 years.
Now, this is the kind of exercise that will either brighten your day or absolutely devastate you. It seems like one of those “see how your partner responds” videos on TikTok, where only the most horrific responses go viral. What if your partner replies with a back-handed compliment, or with something completely unromantic, like “I love the way you do all the physical and mental labor to keep our household going”? What if they don’t reply? Or worse, what if they say, “I don’t know”?
After pressing send, Paltrow marched forward with the AMA, answering questions about her favorite red carpet look (this peach Prada number from the Venice Film Festival premiere of Contagion in 2011), her children (daughter Apple has recently turned her on to French indie pop), and how she chooses her investments (the “better for you” category, like probiotic soda brand Olipop, is typically a winning bet, she says). She also deftly side-stepped the prompt to play “f*ck, marry, kill” with her former costars, Jude Law, Timothée Chalamet, and Robert Downey, Jr., like the pro she is.
Then, towards the end of the video, a producer off-camera asks Paltrow, “Do you want to see if Brad texted you?” The actor reaches for her phone and her reading glasses (a pair of stylish aviators), and begins reading:
“I honestly don’t have a favorite,” she reads aloud, quoting Falchuk. A shaky start, but we’re listening. “He said, ‘I truly love every aspect of you. Your physical beauty, the way your body moves through space, the way you disappear a little when you’re working, the way your hands add something to a pan.’”
Oh, now this is getting good. It’s also a little…sensual?
“Your love of dirty jokes and well-plastered walls. How much you know about art, that you feel so comfortable naked and hate fake people. When you’re needy, when you’re angry on the road. I love when you chug water by the bedside at night. I like the things you choose to worry about and how you handle problems.”
We’re cooked.
“I love your morning routine and when you act like I’ve been demanding you to get out of the bath when I haven’t said a word about it,” Paltrow read, giggling a bit at their inside joke. “I love the skin on the back of your knees and the arch of your feet and when you smile at me in bed after you’ve put in your retainers. I love how hard you try and how often you succeed…”
The final text Gwyneth Paltrow read from Brad Falchuk: “I can keep going if you like.”
Speaking for all of us, another producer off-camera replied, “Keep going!”
