She shared that her tears during her acceptance speech caused a shift in how people perceived her. Prior to that moment, she felt that people were rooting for her, but after the win, she noticed a real turn.
Paltrow recalled how the British press was particularly unkind to her after the win, criticizing her for crying. At the time, Paltrow’s father, director Bruce Paltrow, was undergoing cancer treatment, a fact that many people didn’t know.
The experience made Paltrow realize that she needed to be more protective of herself and filter people out better. She expressed that she had to learn to be less open-hearted and vulnerable and to guard herself against negative energy, told HuffPost.
Since her Oscar win, Paltrow has had her fair share of polarizing moments, such as calling her split from ex-husband Chris Martin a “conscious uncoupling,” taking credit for yoga’s popularity, giving questionable dietary advice, and launching a candle through her lifestyle brand Goop called “This Smells Like My Vagina.”
However, it was her heartfelt thank-you speech to her parents and many others at the Academy Awards that caused the most damage to her public image.