Entertainment

Gwyneth Paltrow: I hope Me Too means my daughter will be free from harassment

The actress and Goop founder alleges Harvey Weinstein put his hands on her when she was 22.
The actress and Goop founder alleges Harvey Weinstein put his hands on her when she was 22. The actress and Goop founder alleges Harvey Weinstein put his hands on her when she was 22.

Gwyneth Paltrow has said she is hopeful the Me Too movement will mean her daughter’s generation will not have to face sexual harassment.

The actress and lifestyle guru is one of a number of high-profile stars who have made claims of sexual misconduct over the past year, sparking the social media movement of people sharing their experiences to raise awareness.

Paltrow alleged that film producer Harvey Weinstein placed his hands on her at a hotel when she was 22 and suggested they go to a bedroom for massages, and that her then-boyfriend Brad Pitt went on to threaten him.

Gwyneth Paltrow interview
Gwyneth Paltrow interview Gwyneth Paltrow said she is grateful to then-boyfriend Brad Pitt for protecting her by threatening Harvey Weinstein following an alleged incident of sexual misconduct (PA)

She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think it is incredible to see how much the culture is shifting and how there really seems to have been this incredible groundswell.

“(Women) are saying ‘This is my experience and this cannot be the experience of women going forward and certainly not for the next generation.’

“I feel proud to have been part of it and I think it’s going in a very good direction.”

She added that she has seen changes in both Hollywood and technology hub Silicon Valley, and hoped this meant her teenage daughter Apple would grow up free from sexual harassment.

She said: “I can tell from hearing men in this industry talk, in the tech industry talk, in the venture capital industry talk, that there has been a seismic shift.

“I’m very hopeful it will continue and it will be a much different experience for our daughters than it was for us.”

Paltrow appeared on the programme to talk about her online wellness retailer and blog Goop, which last month opened a pop-up shop in Westbourne Grove in London’s Notting Hill.