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Just three years after her acclaimed biography of Anna Wintour, fashion and culture journalist and New York Times best-selling author Amy Odell has a new project: Gwyneth: The Biography, a revealing biography of actress and Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow. Drawing from extensive interviews and meticulous archival research, Odell traces Paltrow’s journey from a ‘90s fashion icon to a polarizing wellness mogul, offering a nuanced portrait of a cultural figure who has captivated the public for over three decades. In this episode, Odell shares insights into the voices that shaped her narrative and reflects on the one question she would have asked Paltrow if given the opportunity.
On the latest episode of The Who What Wear Podcast, Who What Wear co-founder Hillary Kerr sits down with Odell to discuss her latest work, share insights into the voices that shaped her narrative, and reflect on the one question she would have asked Paltrow if given the opportunity.
For excerpts from the conversation, scroll below.
Your last biography, the incredible, intimate biography of Anna Wintour, was phenomenal as well. Why did you want to focus on Gwyneth Paltrow for this project?
There are not that many people who have had a real cultural impact—and Gwyneth Paltrow—love her or hate her—has had a real cultural impact. She’s been in the public eye for 30 years. She’s someone who people have been magnetically attracted to and who has also been very, very polarizing.
I interviewed more than 220 sources for the book, from people who worked with her at Goop to people who worked with her on films to friends. I wanted to pull back the curtain on who she really is, because countless glossy magazine profiles have been written about her. And what I learned is that those profiles really only scratch the surface of who she is.
Out of all of things that you uncovered about her early life, what was the most surprising?
I was most intrigued about the general dynamic at Spence, which, I think, informed her character in an important way. Her earlier life was in California, where her parents were working. They had a house in Santa Monica, and she went to a school there where there were a lot more nepo babies, for lack of a better term.
Then, coming to New York and being around the kids at Spence (the nepo babies) was a different experience. They were more so finance nepo babies, big law nepo babies, billionaires, and Grecian princesses (literal princesses from Greece) who would interview figures like Queen Elizabeth for their senior project.
What was the most interesting thing that you uncovered about the Goop empire?
What fascinated me the most is how it is a company where the celebrity founder is both an asset and also a bit more challenging for both the people who work there and perhaps for the CEO. I believe Gwyneth has a lot of strengths as a leader and founder of the business. She was one of the first stars to say, “Hey, why am I using my image to promote other brands like Estee Lauder and American Express (or other brands she had partnerships with)?” She questioned using her image for that when she could use it to start her own brand.
So, she launched Goop in 2008. Thinking back to 2008, social media barely existed as Instagram launched in 2010. And it wasn’t necessarily a given that stars, particularly actors, were going to go be on social media and build these online audiences. She was really early in committing to building her business online and starting a newsletter. And in that way, I think she was sort of the original influencer.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
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