Gwyneth Paltrow Recalls 'Hyperventilating' Ahead of Her 2011 Oscars Performance

Gwyneth Paltrow
A.M.P.A.S./ABC via Getty Images

The Oscar winner is opening up about her brief stint as a country music star.

Bradley Cooper has made it clear that he’s more than a little nervous about performing “Shallow” alongside Lady Gaga at the 2019 Oscars, however, he isn’t the first actor to test their singing chops at the awards show.

During her recent interview with Variety, Gwyneth Paltrow opened up about taking the stage to perform “Coming Home” from her film, Country Strong, at the 2011 Academy Awards. And like Cooper, the 46-year-old thespian readily admits that she was racked with anxiety.

“Oh my God, it was the most terrifying moment of my life,” she admitted to the publication. “I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t feel my hands.”

Although she had already performed at the Country Music Awards and the GRAMMYs, the Oscars was the performance that she couldn’t get her head around.

“The GRAMMYs was so silly, and I was with CeeLo [Green] and there were Muppets for some reason,” Paltrow said. “It didn’t strike me until after it was done like what I was actually doing. I remember at the time, my baby daddy [ex-husband, Chris Martin] was like, ‘This is crazy, because most people have their first concert like at a pub with their uncle watching and a friend from college.’”

“He’s like, ‘Your first gig was playing at the Country Music Awards. This is insane.’ But the Oscars was way worse. I have never felt like that in my entire life,“ she added. “I was like, ‘I’m not going to be able to walk.’ I was hyperventilating and I thought I can’t walk to my mark. That’s how much my body was giving up.”

Cooper previously spoke with ET about preparing for the big performance, admitting earlier this month that he was “not at all” ready to hit the stage, adding, “I’m going to have to prepare a lot.” 

He also chatted about his surprise appearance at Gaga’s Las Vegas show, Enigma, where he sang the duet from A Star Is Born.

I didn’t have any preparation. That was just to see,” he explained about joining his co-star onstage. “That was an amazing experience. But no, I want to work and, like, rehearse [before the Oscars].” 

“I’d thought about it and called [Gaga], so maybe I’d go to the show and then I knew she was singing 'Shallow' for her finale,” he added. “And I thought, I don’t know, maybe if she wants to bring me up, let’s see if it’s not horrendous.”

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