Gwyneth Paltrow Says Life After Her Oscar Win Was Actually Really Lonely

    "It was so intense."

    Alex Gurley
    by Alex Gurley

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    Back in 1999, Gwyneth Paltrow had just won an Oscar, but instead of celebrating, she says, she was actually hiding away from the rest of the world.

    Gwyneth accepts her Oscar onstage
    Timothy A. Clary / Getty Images

    Gwyneth, who was 26 at the time, took home the award for Best Actress for her starring role in Shakespeare in Love, but she completely didn't expect to win.

    Miramax / Giphy / Via giphy.com

    On a recent episode of Anna Faris Is Unqualified, Gwyneth said that she was actually "embarrassed" about the nomination ahead of the ceremony.

    Gwyneth walks the red carpet at the Oscars in a pink dress
    Jeffrey Mayer / WireImage

    "It was the weirdest, most surreal time. You're also kind of embarrassed that you're nominated for an Oscar, and you have impostor syndrome and you think, I can't even believe this is happening. I'm not even that good. Does everybody hate me? I was kind of like, Well, of course, I'm not going to win, but it's kind of cool, too," Gwyneth explained.

    Gwyneth added that while everyone in LA was "so supportive" after her win, the attention she was getting quickly became overwhelming.

    Academy Awards / Giphy / Via giphy.com

    "I remember winning and feeling like the tide sort of turned, and there was this feeling of when you have that much attention on you and that much energy, it was really, really overwhelming," she said.

    "I remember I was staying with my parents at their house in Santa Monica, and I just kind of hid for three weeks afterward. It was so intense," Gwyneth revealed.

    Gwyneth poses with her parents at the Oscars
    Lucy Nicholson / Getty Images

    And she says that at a time when fans expected Gwyneth to be enjoying her success, she was actually very "lonely."

    Gwyneth shyly looks away from the camera at an event in the early 2000s
    Evan Agostini / Getty Images

    "'Lonely' is the right word; it was really strange," Gwyneth concluded.

    While Gwyneth didn't take a step back from acting for several years, she recently revealed that she knew by that age that she didn't "love acting that much."

    Gwyneth has a subtle smile while attending a premiere in 2000
    George De Sota / Getty Images

    As for future acting opportunities for Gwyneth, she says she'll "literally never" catch the acting bug again.

    Goop / Giphy / Via giphy.com

    These days, she's putting her energy into her quarantine vibrator and other, um, unique Goop products.