Gwyneth Paltrow Couldn't Remember Tom Holland Despite Their Work Together

Gwyneth Paltrow's ongoing confusion with the Marvel Cinematic Universe made headlines again, thanks to Robert Downey Jr. He recounted a viral story about the actress forgetting who Tom Holland was, even though they have shared screen time in multiple films.

Robert Downey Jr. Shares the Story

The incident was mentioned at The Hollywood Reporters 2025 Women in Entertainment breakfast gala, where Downey Jr. celebrated Paltrow as she received the 20th annual Sherry Lansing Leadership Award. During his speech, he playfully highlighted her well-known difficulty remembering details about the MCU.

He humorously remarked that despite Paltrow's intelligence, she remains perpetually puzzled by the basics of the Marvel universe and its characters. Downey Jr. described a memorable moment when Paltrow genuinely asked him, Whos that? referring to Tom Holland. He reminded her, Thats Spider-Man. His characters name is Peter. Hes Tom Holland. Youve done four movies with him.

A Pattern of Forgetfulness

This was not an isolated case. In 2019, during an episode of Netflixs The Chef Show, she argued with director Jon Favreau, claiming she wasnt in Spider-Man: Homecoming despite having a cameo. After repeated prompts, she eventually realized, Oh yes! That was Spider-Man??

More recently, she commented on Downey Jr.s Instagram post about his MCU return as Dr. Doom, asking, I dont get it, are you a baddie now?

MCU Future Awaits

With Avengers: Doomsday set for release on December 18, 2026, and Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027, Paltrow might have some Marvel homework to catch up on before the upcoming films.

Author: Ava Mitchell