Gwyneth Paltrow Reveals Casting Couch Mishap

Actresses going in for a casting call don't usually have to take their clothes off. But one movie exec had something different in mind when Gwyneth Paltrow came in for a film.

"When I was just starting out, someone suggested that we finish a meeting in the bedroom. I left. I was pretty shocked. I could see how someone who didn’t know better might worry, 'My career will be ruined if I don’t give this guy a blow job!'" she told Elle in their "Women in Hollywood" story this month. The magazine spoke with Paltrow, Hilary Swank, Kate Hudson and Sofia Coppola about their experiences being female in the movie business.

"Sometimes you find out that something you really liked is going to someone 10 years younger," Paltrow, 38, said of the situation. Swank, 36, a two-time Oscar winner known for playing tough women agreed. "It’s really hard to come by a fictional script where there’s a strong female character," she said.

Hudson, 31, chimed in as well. "In most male-driven vehicles, the female parts tend to be dispensable," she said. But she remains optimistic. "I have faith that we can make female-driven films that are as interesting to men as they are to women." –AMY LEE