Gwyneth Paltrow is cornered at Delta check-in desk in Rome by reporter grilling her about Saudi engagements
Gwyneth Paltrow was approached by a journalist at an airport check-in counter in Italy and demanded answers to her questions about her connections to Saudi Arabia.
The Goop founder had no answer for the reporter as she stood in line at the Delta departure lounge at Rome airport on Tuesday.
Foreign Policy Reporter Jonathan Guyer a photo shared of the interaction in which the 51-year-old actress is seen sporting a fresh tan and an almost entirely white outfit, with a sweater around her shoulders and a shoulder bag.
The journalist claimed he questioned Paltrow about her recent appearances in Saudi Arabia, including a conference with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, but her only response was to look away.
“I asked her why she took the stage earlier this year at a Saudi investment conference, a big money party that ultimately benefits the killers of Jamal Khashoggi,” Guyer said.
Paltrow spoke at the Red Sea International Film Festival, which was slammed by critics as an example of the regime’s “artwashing” and “sportwashing” campaign
Paltrow has been criticized by critics for ignoring Saudi Arabia’s “disgraceful human rights record” while attending prestigious events in that country.
She attended the Future Investment Initiative in Miami in February, which was sponsored by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, reported The New York Times.
In December, the Oscar-winning actress attended the closing ceremony of the Red Sea Film Festival in Saudi Arabia.
She dazzled the audience in a flowing yellow dress as she posed next to Red Sea Film Foundation CEO Mohammed Al Turki.
Human rights activists have said the Red Sea Film Festival is another example of the regime’s “arts-washing” and “sports-washing” campaign, in which glamorous international events are staged in a country to distract from the country’s immoral behavior.
The Oscar-winning actress posed next to Red Sea Film Foundation CEO Mohammed Al Turki during the festival’s closing ceremony
In the oil-rich kingdom, homosexuality is still a crime punishable by death. Women still do not have equal rights and are considered the property of their fathers or husbands.
Critics of the regime are regularly imprisoned and in 2018, dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered by Saudi government agents in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.
Paltrow’s presence was especially surprising because, aside from her role as Pepper Potts in Marvel films, she hasn’t had a leading role in a film since Mortdecai in 2015.
But rumor has it that celebrities like Paltrow, Johnny Depp and Will Smith were paid around $1 million to walk the red carpet in Jeddah.
The news website Puck claimed that: ‘$1 million was the standing offer going around at talent agencies to get big stars to walk the carpet… Will Smith may have gotten even more than that.’
DailyMail.com has contacted Paltrow’s representatives and Guyer for comment.