NEED TO KNOW
\nGwyneth Paltrow and Brad Pitt fell in love in the mid-nineties after sparks flew when they met at an audition for Legends of the Fall.The actress, who was nine years younger than Pitt, later had doubts he was the right guy for her.Paltrow recently said she “totally heartbroken” when they broke up but the two remained friends.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were one of the most iconic couples of the nineties,\u201d says author Amy Odell of Gwyneth Paltrow<\/a>\u00a0and Brad Pitt<\/a>. Both gorgeous, glamorous \u2014 and for a time, sporting the same shag haircut.\n<\/p>\n Odell shares new details about their romance in her new book Gwyneth: The Biography<\/a>, a revealing look at the fascinating life of the 52-year-old star, excerpted exclusively in this week\u2019s PEOPLE.\n<\/p>\n The two first met in 1993 when Paltrow auditioned for the romantic western Legends of the Fall<\/a>. She didn\u2019t get the part (Julia Ormond did) but sparks flew and Pitt later suggested her for the role of his wife in the 1995 thriller, <\/a>Se7en<\/a>.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Pitt in Se7en.<\/p>\n New Line Cinema\/Photofest<\/p>\n At the time, Paltrow was also offered a role in Feeling Minnesota<\/a> opposite Keanu Reeves<\/a>. Unsure of which one to accept, writes Odell, \u201cShe consulted with a friend, who said, \u2018Well, who do you want to date, Brad Pitt or Keanu Reeves?\u2019 Gwyneth chose Se7en and Pitt, and Cameron Diaz<\/a> took the Feeling Minnesota part.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n The PEOPLE App<\/a> is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more!\n<\/p>\n After two years of dating, they became engaged in Argentina in December 1996.\n<\/p>\n \u201cHer dad [Bruce Paltrow] loved Brad,” says Odell. “Her friends loved Brad. They thought he was the nicest guy.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Still, according to the author, Paltrow was having misgivings. \u201cGwyneth expressed doubts to a crew member [while making the 1996 film Emma] that Pitt was right for her, and admitted she had a crush on Hugh Grant<\/a>.\u201d\n<\/p>\n The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now<\/a>!\n<\/p>\n \u201cHe was brought up very religious, in Missouri,\u201d says Odell. \u201cIt’s just a very different world from hers, growing up in Manhattan, going to Spence, I think she thought he wasn’t sophisticated enough for her. She thought she was smarter, better educated, more sophisticated.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Bradd Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow at the 1996 Oscars.<\/p>\n \u00a0KMazur\/WireImage<\/p>\n The book also recounts an interview Paltrow once gave about the chasm between their worlds. \u201cBrad and I have very different upbringings,\u201d she told an interviewer. \u201cSo when we go to restaurants and order caviar, I have to say to Brad \u2018This is beluga and this is osetra.\u2019\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n They broke up in mid 1997. When Paltrow appeared on Call Me Daddy podcast in 2023, she explained that she called off their engagement because she wasn’t ready to marry, noting she was still “totally heartbroken when we broke up.”<\/a>\n<\/p>\n “It was the right thing at that time, but it was really hard,” Paltrow explained. “There were a number of things that had happened, he was nine years older than me \u2014 he knew what he wanted, he was ready to do it and I was kind of all over the place.”\n<\/p>\n “So it was really one of those difficult things, where I felt like, ‘Oh my God, not only am I not ready, I’m not living up to the standards again.’ It was a familiar refrain I felt about myself,” she added.\n<\/p>\n ‘Gwyneth’ by Amy Odell.<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for\u00a0PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer , from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n