Gwyneth Paltrow Believed She Was 'Smarter, Better Educated, More Sophisticated' Than Brad Pitt, Bombshell Tell-All Book Reveals
Gwyneth Paltrow felt she was far too sophisticted for Brad Pitt in the early stages of the relationship in the late '90s.
July 21 2025, Published 8:04 a.m. ET
Gwyneth Paltrow felt Brad Pitt didn't match up to her standards of sophistication, according to the latest bombshell claim from a new book about the actress.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the Shakespeare In Love star’s parents and close friends were all positive about the relationship, which ended after three years in 1997.
'Smarter, Better Educated And More Sophisticated'
Paltrow had early concerns about her relationship with Pitt, despite her loved ones backing him.
But despite her then-fiancé receiving the backing from her loved ones, Paltrow had early concerns about the relationship early on, especially due to their contrasting backgrounds and her posh private school upbringing in New York.
Author Amy Odell wrote: "Gwyneth expressed doubts to a crew member (while making the 1996 film Emma) that Pitt was right for her, and admitted she had a crush on Hugh Grant."
She continued: "He was brought up very religious, in Missouri. It's just a very different world from hers, growing up in Manhattan, going to Spence, I think she thought he wasn't sophisticated enough for her.
"She thought she was smarter, better educated, more sophisticated."
'Dumber Than A Sack Of S--t'
Paltrow had some choice words to say about her former lover.
The pair met in 1993 during an audition for Legends of the Fall. Paltrow didn't land the role, but later Pitt suggested her for the role opposite of him in the movie Se7en.
At the time, Paltrow was also offered a role in Feeling Minnesota, which starred Keanu Reeves.
She consulted with a friend, who said: "Well, who do you want to date, Brad Pitt or Keanu Reeves?" Gwyneth chose Se7en and Pitt, and Cameron Diaz took the Feeling Minnesota part," Odell wrote.
Moving On
Paltrow was far from happy when Pitt moved on with Jennifer Aniston.
Also mentioned in Gwyneth: The Biography, Paltrow felt "sad" when she learned Pitt had married Jennifer Aniston.
During a September 2000 interview at the Toronto Film Festival, a "gossipy reporter" asked the actress "how she felt about Brad Pitt marrying Jennifer Aniston (in July of that year). 'Are you really asking me this question?’ Gwyneth replied, her eyes now ‘daggers.'
"I can’t comment on this kind of thing," an excerpt from the book read.
“In reality, Gwyneth confided to friends that she’d felt sad when she learned they were getting married. (She was also fond of telling them that Brad 'has terrible taste in women')."
Paltrow, 52, couldn't hide her hurt over Pitt's marriage to the Friends' star as she threw another jab at him during a business meeting with Estee Lauder cosmetics heiress Aerin Lauder later that year.
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Paltrow dated Ben Affleck after Pitt but the Batman star was battling booze demons at the time.
At one dinner, the two were talking about Pitt. According to someone familiar with the discussion, Paltrow allegedly told her: "He's dumber than a sack of s--t,'" the excerpt reads.
Pitt, 61,went on to date Aniston, whom he proposed to in 1999. They tied the knot in Malibu on July 29, 2000, but divorced five years later after Pitt struck up a romance with his Mr. and Mrs. Smith co-star Angelina Jolie.
Meanwhile Paltrow’s next beau would be Ben Affleck, who was "struggling with alcoholism and a gambling habit" at the time he was introduced to her in 1997, according to the biography.
Though, they broke up after a little over a year of dating.
