Gwyneth Paltrow's romance with Brad Pitt began before they ever crossed paths.
The Oscar winner shared rare details on her romance with the Mr. & Mrs. Smith star, divulging that although she dated him in the ‘90s while in her early 20s, her crush on Pitt first formed after watching him onscreen.
"I grew up, I remember seeing Thelma & Louise in the movie theater," Paltrow told Benny Blanco and Lil Dicky on Friends Keep Secrets Sept. 8, "and being like, 'That is the most handsome man.'"
Eventually fate would lead Paltrow—who shares kids Apple, 22, and Moses, 20, with ex Chris Martin—to meet her crush in real life, when they played a married couple in David Fincher's 1995 thriller, Se7en.
"I get cast in the movie with Brad, and I met him on set," Paltrow shared. "We had kind of a love at first sight thing. It was pretty awesome. It was really fun."
As such, the actress never questioned their natural connection despite their difference in years, crediting Pitt's handsome looks as a part of the equation. "No, because he was so beautiful," the Sliding Doors star explained of why she wasn't bothered by their age gap. "I think he was 31 and I was 22."
And almost 30 years later, Paltrow still recognizes how much the headlines about her first public relationship—which led to their engagement in 1996—impacted her career.
"I had movies coming out, so I was sort of getting famous on my own, and I was famous as his girlfriend," she said, calling the media attention "overwhelming" and a "big thing."
Though the 53-year-old maintained fond memories of their time together, she also acknowledged why they ultimately never made it down the aisle.
"We were working all over the different parts of the world," she continued. "I think there was an aspect of it that was very heady. I was very young, and he was this beautiful movie star."
And it's fortunate that Paltrow still considers her ex to be "a great guy" and a friend "to this day," given that her romance with Pitt, 62, remains a topic of conversation.
"He’s a very intriguing character," she told Vanity Fair in 2025. "Like having dated, I don’t know, Prince William or something. That’s always going to come up.”
As for whether husband Brad Falchuk ever gets annoyed when Paltrow—who he married in 2018—looks back on her experience with the Hollywood heartthrob?
"No, Brad Falchuk knows he's the total love of my life," she gushed. "He is like my best friend. He is the most brilliant, gorgeous—he's so hot it's bananas."
Read on for the full story on how Paltrow and Falchuk fell in love.
Gwyneth and Brad spark romance rumors after being spotted on multiple dates at restaurant East Borough in Culver City, Calif.
"They looked like they were enjoying each other's company," an eyewitness told E! News at the time.
Gwyneth and Brad are spotted attending Robert Downey Jr.'s 50th birthday party in Santa Monica, Calif.
The couple attends a screening of Gwyneth's mom Blythe Danner's movie I'll See You in My Dreams in Los Angeles.
"Gwyneth and Brad were outwardly couple-y," a source told E! News at the time. "They sat next to each other at the screening, not with her mom who sat further back."
E! News learns that Gwyneth and Brad are enjoying a romantic Italian getaway.
The couple confirms their relationship with an Instagram post to Brad's account. "My date and I #screamqueens," Brad captioned a selfie of the duo at the Scream Queens premiere.
Brad shares a photo of the couple with the caption, "Martinis made with iceberg ice. #fogoisland #happy."
Gwyneth posts sweet birthday selfie for Brad's birthday. "Happy birthday, handsome," she captioned the Instagram post.
Brad calls Gwyneth the "most beautiful woman of all time" in a birthday post to his leading lady.
"This is the most beautiful woman of all time and today is her birthday. We are all so lucky that she came into the world (but no one is luckier than me). Happy Birthday, Love.PS - this is pretty much the most #Gwyneth pic I could find - it has pizza, red wine, her phone and that f--king perfect smile," he captioned the Instagram pic.
Gwyneth shares Se7en Halloween post with Brad just days before the holiday.
One day before engagement reports surface, Gwyneth is spotted wearing a gold, square-cut ring at Goop's goopglow morning skin superpowder launch in Venice, Calif.