At almost 32 years of age (her birthday is September 28th), Gwyneth Paltrow has reached heights people twice her age can only dream of. Married to a rock star, a beautiful new daughter, and oh yeah, won an Academy Award. And let's face it, she's stunningly beautiful. I got to sit within just a few inches of her the other day and let me tell you, seeing her on screen does not do her justice. I was at the press junket for her latest film, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, and was lucky enough to snag the chair just to her left. Although, I soon realized that while sitting close to her was nice, had I sat somewhere else, I might have gotten more eye contact. Things I'll have to remember in the future, because having her look in your eye kind of takes your breath away. Now granted, I am a huge fan of her work, and believe she's one of the greatest actresses working today, so whether she looked at me or not, I was happy to be there.

So as I sat there, watching as she walked in the room, the first thing that hit me was, she looked like she was in great shape, considering she just had a kid a short time ago. Then I realized that I was supposed to be noticing what she was wearing, because a friend of mine loves Gwyneth's sense of style, and I needed to report back. It was funny. I told a few women friends that I was going to meet Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow, and half of them were more excited about Gwyneth than Jude. Women seem to look up to Gwyneth, whether it be for her fashion sense, or her girl-next-door demeanor in a world of stuck-up movie stars. One of my friends called her a 'modern-day Grace Kelly.' Just by walking into the room, she immediately set all of us at ease. At least the male reporters. I think all of us just sat stunned for a few seconds before launching into questions.

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is both a throwback film and a futuristic film. It has to be seen to be believed. The entire movie was CGI, with just the actors and a very few props being real. She took the role based on viewing a six-minute short film, without seeing a script. "This time I thought, if there was ever time to do an action adventure movie, it's now because it [has] such an exquisite, unique[ness] to it... No matter what you say about it, it's a new thing." And this was not your run-of-the-mill action film. Acting in front of a blue screen is monumentally different from working with real actors. "It's just so unfamiliar. Such unfamiliar territory. You [usually] incorporate your surroundings into your performance. I'm gonna look so stupid then you say, I'm just gonna totally go for it!"

Recently Gwyneth said that having had a child, she'll be cutting back on her workload. "It's a whole different ballgame... I'll still do something austentably risky... but only if I really believed in something." Which was one of the reasons she chose to do Sky Captain. Another great thing about doing the movie was being able to work with Jude Law, someone she has been friends with for years. Their relationship on screen is one of the keys to the success of the film. "That was one of the appeals in doing the movie, that kind of, like, Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn bantery... it's sexually charged and it's witty..." Jude's character is sort of a comic book superhero, who flies in to save the day whenever he's called. When asked whether she would be willing to do a comic book movie, maybe Wonder Woman if offered, Gwyneth replied with a laugh, "I don't think so. I think this as far as I'll go."

So she's barely in her 30s, married to a famous musician, has a new child and has won an Academy Award. Her movies have been both critical and box office successes. She can pretty much write her own ticket in Hollywood. So what else is there for her to accomplish? "My one remaining thing, I want to be in a film in Spanish with a great Spanish director." Not necessarily the thing I would have chosen for her. Maybe in a Bollywood type film directed by Mira Nair? My Indian side can only dream of that.