Gwyneth Paltrow is not afraid to embrace the "nepo baby" label as she reveals that she landed one of her first roles in Steven Spielberg's 1991 film Hook without even auditioning. It may come as a surprise, given that auditions are allegedly a "must" in Hollywood. However, the Academy Award-winning actress recalls that Kate Capshaw, Steven's wife, is a dear friend of her father.
"Kate was actually my father's best friend," she shares during a SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations event. "They were best friends. Kate Capshaw...so I grew up with them...they're really our family." She notes that being a "nepo baby" comes with "certain advantages."
Nonetheless, her close ties with the couple paid off in an unexpected way. At the time, Gwyneth was 18 years old and remembers the moment when Steven offered her the role in Hook as they were on their way to see The Silence of the Lambs.
"We were going to the movie theater, and Steven was driving...I was in the back seat, and he kept looking in the rearview mirror and squinting at me...I was thinking, 'Do I have something on my face? What is it?'"
Then he said, "Gwenny, will you do me a favor?" she recalls him saying. "Would you play young Wendy in 'Hook,' in this movie that I'm doing about Peter Pan?" For a moment, Gwyneth was speechless with disbelief. "I said, 'Oh, f*** off.' You know, no. Oh, I did not say that...I said, 'Yes, I will. I will do that.'"
It's worth noting that in Hook, the actress portrayed Young Wendy; though the role was brief, it was considered one of her first notable roles.
