5 Gwyneth Paltrow movies that totally negate her Pepper Potts aura

When you think of Gwyneth Paltrow, your brain probably jumps to her chic, polished, type-A portrayal of Pepper Potts in the MCU, all business suits and emotional restraint. But trust us, her filmography is way more chaotic (and we mean that in the best way). Before she was Tony Stark’s better half, she was playing messy romantics, dangerous flirts, and straight-up unhinged femmes.

These five roles show off the range that the Iron Man franchise politely pretended didn’t exist. From psychological thrillers to poetic period pieces, these movies remind us that Pepper Potts is just one slice of the Paltrow pie, and not even the spiciest one.

Shakespeare In Love

In Shakespeare in Love, Gwyneth Paltrow plays Viola de Lesseps, and it's one of the most captivating performances of her career. Viola is a woman born into velvet and rules, but her soul burns for stages, for stories, for something wilder than what her title allows. The Academy Award-winning role is widely acclaimed as her best performance on screen. And through it all, Paltrow is spellbinding.

Emma

In Emma, Gwyneth Paltrow plays the titular character in Jane Austen's iconic novel. As Emma Woodhouse, she’s all lace gloves, sharp wit, and self-assured matchmaking chaos. She moves through drawing rooms like a queen without a crown, pairing hearts like it’s her royal duty. But beneath the surface gloss is a girl improvising, guessing, misreading, and learning.

It's one of the most iconic classic heroines in literature, and Paltrow does full justice to the role.

Great Expectations

In Great Expectations, Gwyneth Paltrow transforms Estella into a living contradiction, all icy elegance and buried wounds. Dressed in green silk and emotional armor, she floats through Finn’s life like a mirage: impossible to hold, impossible to forget. Paltrow plays her with quiet precision, every glance laced with both invitation and refusal. In her hands, Estella becomes less a woman and more a ghost shaped by other people’s pain and expectations.

A Perfect Murder

In A Perfect Murder, Gwyneth Paltrow plays Emily Bradford Taylor, a woman wrapped in luxury but drowning in quiet dread. Her husband is planning her murder. Her lover has secrets of his own. And Emily? She’s been taught to smile through it all.

Paltrow plays her perfectly and with a lot of mystery. Emily stops being the perfect wife in the perfect home and becomes something sharper. And when the moment comes, she flips the script.

Sliding Doors

In Sliding Doors, Gwyneth Paltrow plays Helen Quilley, or rather, two Helens, split by a single moment when a tube train’s doors either open or shut. One version catches it and catches her cheating boyfriend in the act. The other misses it and keeps living in blissful ignorance.

From that instant, her life forks, and Gwyneth Paltrow plays both paths with eerie precision. One Helen cuts her hair, finds her voice, and starts over. The other stumbles through heartbreak she doesn’t even know is happening yet. It’s one role and two timelines, and Paltrow makes both equally haunting, hopeful, and human.