The special screening at the White House did not go as planned.
Apparently, the 42nd President of the United States is not a fan of 19th-century comedy films. That's the hot take Gwyneth Paltrow is delivering all these years later.
The 51-year-old actress recently appeared on Hot Ones and told host Sean Evans about that one time former President Bill Clinton slept through a special screening of Emma at the White House. It was actually Evans who brought up the subject, when he asked for confirmation of the story.
"Is it true that Bill Clinton passed out asleep during a White House screening of Emma?" Evans asked.
"True," said Paltrow while barely containing her laughter. "He was snoring right in front of me. I was like, 'Wow, I guess this is going to be a real hit movie.'"
Paltrow starred in the 1996 period comedy directed by Douglas McGrath. Set in early 19th-century England, Paltrow portrayed 21-year-old Emma Woodhouse, a sweet and super likable young woman who exuded extreme naiveté. The film is based on Jane Austen's 1815 novel of the same name.
Toni Collette, Alan Cumming, Ewan McGregor and Jeremy Northam also starred in the film, which went on to gross nearly $40 million at the box office worldwide and was nominated for two Academy Awards (Best Costume and Best Original Music or Comedy Score).
Due to that success, Paltrow apparently felt compelled -- albeit, jokingly -- to deliver a message to the former occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
"But it was [a real hit], so f**k you, Bill Clinton!" she quipped.
Elsewhere in the interview, Paltrow opened up about how she mastered her British accent for (avert your eyes, Bill!) the 1998 period rom-com, Shakespeare In Love.
"So, I had grown up making prank calls doing accents, that kind of thing and making my friends laugh, but it turns out to actually do it properly you have to re-learn how to speak. So, the English accent is so different and the muscles are so different, like where you place the tongue on the teeth and the mouth is so different. Like, certain muscles are more relaxed and certain are more tense," she said. "So I think you really get the opportunity to use the language and really hear because it's so different when you're in an academic setting trying to learn, as opposed to being in a conversation."
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