The Realization Gwyneth Paltrow Had Upon Turning 50

Age came with more beauty and wisdom for Gwyneth Paltrow. In a September 2022 interview with Vogue, the "Glee" alum talks turning 50 years old. "I feel great," she revealed. "I feel very happy and fulfilled and not scared and weirdly not freaked out about it." She mentioned that in her 20s, she was trying to figure things out and in her 30s, she had a good grasp on how life worked. In her 40s, she went through a midlife crisis as she questioned what aging means and how she wanted to redefine herself.

The actor and clothing designer has also seen her daughter Apple reach some milestones recently. Apple turned 18 in May, graduated high school, and is now attending college. "I know it sounds nuts, but it feels almost as profound as giving birth," Paltrow, who shares Apple with her ex-husband Chris Martin, told CBS News.

Although it seems that Paltrow has no regrets about her earlier years, she is excited to move onto this next chapter of life. "I would never want to go back to my 20s, or even my 30s for that matter," she told People in October 2021, just after her 49th birthday. "I know myself, I like myself and I am so grateful for the wisdom that comes with age." And now, the actor is taking this newfound acceptance to heart for her 50th birthday.

On October 16, Gwyneth Paltrow hosted a Goop Event, and she had a tell-all Q&A panel for those who attended. The fashion designer talked about her recent 50th birthday. "I felt this amazing liberation start to come," she said, reported by The Hollywood Reporter. "I really know myself. I've made so many mistakes in my life and I've achieved a lot of things." She mentioned that she's started to "not give a f***" about what people think of her.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe alum elaborated a little more on what she wants to take away from this new chapter in life. "I would like to slow down," she said in a statement posted on the Goop website. "I would like to retreat a little bit." She then listed the things she'd like to do. The activities range from things as simple as cooking dinner and singing, to things as deep as opening up to her husband Brad Falchuk and working on acceptance.

And it seems that Paltrow is beginning to shine light on her self-acceptance as she did a nude photoshoot to celebrate the big milestone of turning 50 years old. On September 27, her 50th birthday, the actor shared a photo from the shoot on Instagram, captioning it "50" with gold star emojis to accompany the text.