Call me crazy, but I’ve always believed that Mario Batali and Gwyneth Paltrow really are in friends in real life. They’ve known each other for 18 years, and they’ve even taken their friendship on the road for “Spain – On the Road Again” back in 2008. I’m not saying that they sit up every night braiding each other’s hair, but I think they’re somewhere between professional friends and BFFs. Well, Goop attended/cohosted a dinner at Batali’s latest restaurant, La Sirena, in Manhattan this week. Gwyneth and Batali actually collaborated on the dinner, which has something vaguely to do with Goop.com. And Gwyneth deigned to consent to an interview with Vanity Fair (they’re no longer fighting). That’s how much she loves Batali: she helped promote his restaurant by giving an interview to VF! You can read the full piece here, and here are some of the best quotes (sidenote: this piece is super-annoying and sycophantic towards Gwyneth).
Her 18-year friendship with Batali: “He was just teasing me about every boyfriend I brought to [Batali’s restaurant] Babbo over the years. He liked Brad Pitt, if you want to know. Didn’t like Ben Affleck that much.”
How to approach healthy cooking/eating: “First of all, I feel like, there’s no pressure to cook for yourself. There’s also an idea of, like, ‘I have to do this.’ Some people work really hard, they’re exhausted, and they don’t want to. For me, it’s very relaxing and grounding, so I like to do it, and I have a lot of friends who like to do it, but also feel like they don’t have time.”
She loves shows about murder: “I love murder shows. I finished The Night Manager. And then I just finished Marcella, which I binge-watched. And now I’m watching The Night Of on HBO—have you seen this?—it’s another murder show. It’s about this Pakistani kid in Queens, and he gets caught up in this murder, and it’s amazing. I love a murder show. Murder. Murder’s my thing. I don’t know why! It’s so creepy.”
I imagine to get an interview with Gwyneth, you have to write something about how flawless she seems or, as the VF writer says, something about “the sheer magnificence of her hair.” That alone makes me question everything about VF. As for the quote about Affleck and Pitt… Gwyneth has talked about and around her on-and-off relationship with Affleck back in the ‘90s. I don’t think the relationship was a happy one for either, but I was always sort of on Gwyneth’s side. It always seemed like she was trying to help him get his sh-t together, and after their final split, it seemed like the first big time that he self-sabotaged publicly. As for Brad… he really was “the one who got away” for Gwyneth. She’s said before that everyone in her life loved Brad back then.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
I sometimes imagine how differently the celeb world would have turned out if G and Brad had never split. seemed like a lot of splinters came from that separation.
Which B? Brad or Ben, lol.
Oops clarified. I never really think of her and Ben as a couple.
I can believe people like her and want to be a part of her crowd. It would have been great for his career to cook at her Martha’s Vinyard dinner parties. I saw him, once, in Grand Central, and he was wearing almost exactly what he’s wearing in that pic, with the orange crocs. He was at Krispy Kreme in the line with me! p.s. ‘Marion’, lol.
While in print she often doesn’t come across well, pretty much every interview I’ve seen with her she’s been really funny and self-deprecating. She is entitled, but I don’t think she’s a bad person.
I don’t think Batali needs any help with his career. He is a master at what he does. And he has almost as much money as God.
Who doesn’t like Brad Pitt in Hollywood? It seems as if everyone just loves the guy.
Yep – friends and colleagues love him and Hollywood wants to work with him.
That and his looks is probably why he had such a sucxessful career, because he was never the most talented actor. Hollywood is largely about connections.
@lockeLamora
Brad had no connections when he came to Hollywood from Missouri. No soap opera dad or tv producer dad to introduce him to the right people. He’s a self made man.
Also, the Hollywood graveyard is chock full of the never realized showbiz careers of *beautiful, nice people* who never made it out of obscurity. So trying to explain his success away due to superficialities like “looks,” doesn’t hold up.
The industry thinks Brad is a pretty compelling and talented actor since he’s been nominated for an Oscar 2-3x and has closets full of other esteemed hardware.
You’re entitled to your opinion, but it’s not the consensus.
I didn’t mean he had preexisting connections. I think he’s a mediocre actor. And I think a lot of his success is due to his looks. He’s a much better producer than he is an actor. As you said, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
I agree with Matt Damon opinion of Brad’s acting. Brad’s acting is underrated.
Brad Pitt has always reminded me of Robert Redford in his heyday…gorgeous, yes, but absolutely a talented actor with a quiet, mischievous undercurrent that makes him interesting.
I just love Pitt in the Ocean’s movies and Mr & Mrs Smith.
I’m not a huge fan of his for whatever reason, but I can’t deny his appeal and talent.
Didn’t G end things with him?
I bet she does regret it.
She isn’t a fave of mine either, but she plays the entitled priss roles to theT – case in point, The Talented Mr Ripley.
I imagine she’s much that way in real life especially when I read or see her interviews…she’s pretentious.
So is Batali for that matter.
I enjoy watching Brad onscreen. And it’s not only because of his movie star good looks cause there’s a dime a dozen golden-haired pretty boys in Hollywood. He has charisma in spades and he’s compelling especially when given the right role. I think he’s genuinely likeable – the men want to be his friend, hang out with him etc. Clooney and Damon constantly namedrop him again and again. The women too still swoon over him. He and Angelina are so lucky to have found each other.
I agree with Myrna regarding that ‘mischievous undercurrent’. Yes, he can be smoking hot onscreen and he does crazy (12 Monkeys/Inglourious Basterds)/quirky (Snatch/Fight Club) very well, but he’s fantastic in ‘quiet’ parts. For example, his Paul in A River Runs Through It played his strengths as quirky oddball, but that scene when he found out his brother accepted a teaching position and was leaving, his eyes said it all and you got a foreboding feeling. Benjamin Button and Wardaddy (Fury) were other roles where he mined the quietness of the roles and the results were very impacting to the audience.
Jennifer Aniston? 🙂
Even Aniston only has good things to say about Brad now.
Actually I haven’t heard of her saying anything negative about him since 2005 Vanity Fair interview,when she said he had a sensitivity chip missing.She and her friends(Howard Stern,Chelsea Handler,etc )have made negative comments about Angelina but not Brad through the years.
Nope, Locke. Brad is a good actor. He is never playing the same guy in his movies.
I love how she seems to bring up her past relationships to remind us. Also, VF is dead to me. Magnificent hair??? Get the f*ck out.
I don’t know how, with all her money, her hair looks like crap. It’s the color and texture of straw left out in the sun for a week.
Honest suggestion for Goop – If you are going for that shade of blond, give Ivanka Trump a call and find out who did her color for the convention. As far as platinumish blonde goes, Ivanka’s looked pretty good.
Your hair won’t care what you do to it once you’ve fried it. If you bleach it for years and the texture can’t take it, there is nothing even the best stylist or product can do. And the heat from her considerable collection of straighteners can’t help either. Hair is very democratic that way. I have – as most people do – my issues with my looks but goddamn, my hair is awesome. I barely have to take care of it and it just looks like a million bucks. It’s the ONE thing I don’t have to work for, unlike skin or the size of my butt. So whenever I see GOOP I get all smug. These are not my proudest moments.
Her hair looks like brittle straw .
I’m one of those people who thinks of cooking as something I have to do. I do it because I fell like at the age of 24, I should be able to feed myself, but there’s not much enjoyment there.
Perhaps if you bought yourself a couple of good cookbooks or took a cooking class, you would like it more. Additionally, get your friends in on it. Invite them over and assign tasks of chopping, stirring, etc. Add a bottle or two of wine, and you will all have a great time.
I find it relaxing to create a meal for DH and me. Hubby cooks one or two nights during the week and I cook the other nights (and he does dishes, yay!) During the week, dinners will be simple, but will get a bit more complicated over the weekends. And always, ALWAYS dessert on Saturday night. : )
Lastly, we host about 15 guests for Thanksgiving (in our 1-bedroom Manhattan apartment). I cannot tell you the satisfaction I get planning, cooking, feeding and entertaining these folks; it all results in making memories that will last a lifetime.
It’s worth it to learn. Best of luck.
Some people just don’t like to cook, and that’s okay. It’s awesome that you really enjoy it, but pretty much everything you described sounds awful to me.
I know it comes from a well intentioned place, but despite tips and tricks and encouragement, there are some people who will never really enjoy cooking. You dont ecpect everyone to share all your interests, I am sure.
Plus, it’s as people are saying below. It’s not so much the cooking as the daily planning, prepping and cleaning that are joy killers.
I honestly can’t stand to cook either. Never did. I cook because I have to eat but I’d rather scrub my tub .
I’m with Bridget. While I don’t mind cooking (simple meals with not too many ingredients!) a few nights a week in collaboration with my boyfriend, the idea of hosting/feeding/entertaining (ack!) 15 people in my house does not sound satisfying to me at all. I’ll bring a dish to your potluck, though!
That must be a grind. I love to cook, but if I had my way, I’d cook something fabulous twice a week. The day to day what are we having for dinner is somewhat oppressive to me as someone who enjoys cooking, so I can’t imagine if I didn’t. I wish I could help you enjoy it more, or dislike it less, but I can’t think of anything.
but it is more the daily pressure what to cook and to buy for it and to clean after it… I like the cooking.
And I love to cook something special and new. Not the things the kids like….
Oh, yes. What to cook. Gah! I feel so uninspired at times. i don’t mind the actual cooking, you’re right – it’s the thinking of something, shopping for it, blah blah.
I hate cooking too. Have one or two dishes you can make when you need to, then make sure you know what’s good (and healthy) for takeout. Find a partner who loves to cook and get really good at washing the dishes.
I appreciate al the comments from people who dislike cooking. There are 62,497 things I’d rather do, but instead I have to make dinner every night. I am grateful for food, but if I didn’t have a family, I’d eat a bizarre mishmash of foods requiring little cooking..
It seems that Brad is the one who got away for lots of his exes from Gwen, Jennifer, Sinatta, Juliette etc.
Listening all of his exes saying lovely things about him just proves what a wonderful man he is and how good he treated them.
Lucky lucky Angelina for having such a man love her.
I love Brad! And you’re right about his exes saying (mostly) nice things about him. I know they’re hard to come by, but my hopeful heart yearns for more men to not have to be perfect but also not leave a trail of blood behind in their relationships. Like I said, it’s so hard to come across, right?
He has dated so many actresses, from gwynnie to Thandie newton to that blond from married with children. I always wondered how Angelina must feel about that.
Do you really think she’s slaving in the kitchen 3 meals a day every day? Please. If I has to do it here and there with my personal chef I too would love it! Anyway in spite of her delusions I love her! Also thanks for reminding us how you got to the A list men first lol
Yeah. She probably has her assistants shop, wash , prep, and clean up.
She probably cooks like my kids “help” with the cooking- Cut and stir occasionally- get bored 5 min later – here you can finish it….
That was a very sycophantic interview …unless he was being sarcastic. I mean – “Gwyneth is an emblem for a specific strain of modern perfection” and “the sheer magnificence of her hair.”, her hair always looks terrible, like yellow straw.
Sorry gwyneth,but brad ain’t coming back to you. Let it go!
Didn’t she say it took her five years to get over him. I believe she would take him back in a New York minute. Sorry Brad says he never goes back. This is about the fourth time she mentioned what a great guy Brad is and all her friends love him.
My favorite line in all of this is: “She loves shows about murder.”
That is one of the most fawning, syncophantic pieces I’ve ever read…I know Graydon Carter gave in when she threw a fit about that article but that is so ridiculously over the top.
She has nice hair, it’s a really good colour. It does look dry on the ends sometimes but not in these 2 pics
I miss her acting in regular dramas. Not a fan of superhero movies so to me she’s hardly acting these days
Ooh, did I love that Spain show! I even bought the book-LOL! I agree- think their friendship is real.
I think she and Mario are really friends, too. I used to watch the Chew when it first came on, and she was a guest. You could see the connection there. Of course, she was bragging about how much she eats – one of her many differing versions of her diet. I actually think he has a huge crush on her and she enjoys the adoration.
Something about Ben Affleck makes people feel the desire to try and ‘fix’ him. But at least GP realized that wasn’t her job. Jury’s still out on Garner
Oh, I have a feeling she’s making him sweat it out, but ultimately she has no plans to go anywhere. But that’s JMO. As for Goop, she doesn’t seem relevant anymore as an actress and outside of her personal brand – what’s the last movie she made that was actually good? Continuing to bring up relationships from the 90s seems so desperate at this point, especially when she’s insulting one of them. Not a good look on her.
Especially since she’s been in a relationship for over two years with Brad Falchuk. No mention of him, but keeps bringing up her ex-husband and ex-boyfriends.
Yeah, we KNOW. You say this in literally every single post here that even mentions Ben Affleck, even if he and his divorce aren’t the topic of conversation. It’s clear that you’re obsessed with him/her/them/them getting back together. Like a broken record at this point.
Contagion?
Though she wasn’t in it that much.
“He was just teasing me about every boyfriend I brought to [Batali’s restaurant] Babbo over the years. He liked Brad Pitt, if you want to know. Didn’t like Ben Affleck that much.”
In all honesty, I hadn’t really thought about who Mario Batali preferred (i.e “if you want to know”).
Well I am curious what he thought of her ex husband,Chris Martin not Brad Pitt who she broke up with almost twenty years ago.
That’s the thing. She was with Brad near 20 years ago. 20 years. Brad doesn’t talk about her. Doesn’t go on and on about his past at all. She keeps bringing up Brad or Ben. To my knowledge Ben doesn’t talk about her either. Speaks more of where she is than these men. She needs to respect them and herself and stop talking about them.
I watched “the chew” fairly regularly and those two are a match made in heaven w/their certainty that they ALWAYS know what’s best. It’s fairly obvious that the crew on the show just tolerate Batali, I’ve actually seen knowing looks being exchanged when he’s being a condescending ass.
Really? Oh, that’s sad. I thought he was a teddy bear. Darn.
I met him at a party and spent about five minutes talking to him. He was sweet and charming.
Eh- that whole thing with VF seemed like a PR set up, liked her “most hated” press run a few years back. Old PR trick- if you can’t get attention for actual good work, pretend to be a victim and keep whining…I’m SO IMPORTANT that VF is going to do a slam piece on me! Uh huh.
Didn’t she once refer to Batali as the “only” fat friend she has? And she’s been trying to get him to lose weight forever?
Can’t you see her patting herself on the back for having a “fat friend”?
I sat through his show years ago when he took GP with him on a filmed food tour of Spain for his TV show, and was convinced she only put the food in her mouth for the cameras then spit everything out when they stopped rolling.
I find it sad that she has to keep on reminding us of her long past (famous) boyfriends. Eh, well, anything to move the Goopy brand.