Gwyneth Paltrow may have been mostly retired from acting for the last few years, but she’s clearly made some good friends in her time in Hollywood. Paltrow recently received the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award at the THR Women in Entertainment 2025 gala, and her friend and co-star Robert Downey Jr. was on hand to sing her praises and also roast her a bit. Not bad for a guy who apparently would rather have been in bed.
The award presentation was apparently very early, leading ET to remark to Paltrow that she had gotten Downey out of bed to present the award. Paltrow expected to get an earful on that, but then she praised her co-star’s talent and admitted how happy she was that he was there. Paltrow said…
I’m sure he’ll complain about it, by the way. It feels amazing. He’s truly like a brother to me. He knows me so well. We’re like family. I adore him, and he’s such an inspiring artist. I can’t believe he’s coming all the way from Malibu.
For the record, Robert Downey Jr. didn’t complain about having to wake up during his introduction of Gwyneth Paltrow. What he did do was poke a bit of fun at her, amidst a flood of praise. Specifically he teased her over the fact that, despite the fact that Paltrow was a constant part of the first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, she seemingly never had a clue what was going on with it. Paltrow had a tendency to forget which movies she was in and even forget one of her other co-stars. Downey joked about a conversation he had with Paltrow, saying…
‘He said his name was Peter.’ ‘No, his character’s name is Peter. He’s Tom Holland. You’ve done four movies with him.’
Despite the jokes from both sides, what was clear from both of their comments was how much these two actors clearly adore each other. Downey praised Paltrow's ability to juggle both Hollywood and her wellness empire while also being a mother. One needs only look at a picture of the two of them together to see how much they enjoy being together.
Downey himself posted a picture of the pair from the event, with a caption of his own celebrating his MCU co-star in the sweetest way, saying simply…
Pepper & Tony 4Ever
While Downey is set to return to the MCU next year, though not (as far as we’re aware) as Tony Stark, there’s no confirmation that Gwyneth Paltrow will be reprising her role as Pepper Potts, or perhaps as a multiverse variant of her. Although considering how little Paltrow seems to know about the franchise, maybe she’s in it but isn’t aware.
