Gwyneth Paltrow Navigating Roadblocks Amid New Career Path: ‘She’s Never Faced This Kind of Friction’

Gwyneth Paltrow is discovering that making her full-fledged return to Hollywood is far more challenging than she expected.

While the Oscar winner, 53, has stepped back in front of the camera recently, a source exclusively tells In Touch that she’s also eager to build a career as a producer by developing television and streaming projects.

However, the source says the transition hasn’t been nearly as seamless as she had hoped.

“The bottom line is that part of Gwyneth’s return to acting is involving her attempting to help put together miniseries and streaming projects, similarly to how Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman have successfully done over the last few years,” the source explains.

According to the source, Paltrow has looked to Kidman, 59, and Witherspoon, 50, as examples of actresses who have successfully expanded into producing acclaimed projects. However, balancing those goals with her responsibilities as CEO of Goop has become an uphill battle.

“With limited producing experience, and her ongoing commitment to continue to be the CEO of her firm GOOP, Gwyneth is finding it a lot harder to walk in Nicole’s shoes than she imagined,” the source continues.

Although the Marty Supreme star has someone with television experience close to home in her husband Brad Falchuk — the co-creator of shows including Glee and American Horror Story — the source says that hasn’t made things easier.

“There’s no substitute for firsthand experience,” the source explains.

To make matters worse, the source says Paltrow has rarely encountered professional roadblocks like this before.

“The real problem here is that the first 20 years of Gwyneth’s acting career were incredibly charmed, and she’s never faced this kind of friction before,” the source shares. “She’ll always be welcomed in the Marvel movies because of the history she has with that fan base, but getting original projects off the ground in Hollywood is no joke. Even with all the connections in the world, Gwyneth needs to show that she can pick a hit and see it through to completion.”

One project facing obstacles is Strangers, a book-to-miniseries adaptation that once looked especially promising.

The project “seemed to have the hallmarks of something special, but even that concept is facing challenges that make it far from a slam dunk,” the source adds.

Still, the source believes the Iron Man actress can ultimately find success if she’s willing to take a page from the careers of the actresses she admires.

“If Gwyneth can show patience and a willingness to learn from her setbacks, the way Reese and Nicole have for the last decade,” the source concludes, “maybe she’s going to find a path forward.”