While we were all busy revisiting the wickedness of the Roman Empire (that was the plot of Gladiator II, right? Not Paul Mescal’s calves?), is another, arguably more interesting, empire starting to wobble? Following a second round of redundancies, Gwyneth Paltrow’s GOOP has cut 50 people from the 216-person staff since September. That’s despite a Goop spokesperson stating that revenue for the wellness brand grew last year and was on track to grow further (they declined to say if the company is profitable) by the end of 2024.

Fears for the future of GOOP escalated when Paltrow announced her return to acting, in Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme, starring alongside Timothée Chalamet. It’s her first major role in five years. Is GOOP no longer her priority? According to Paltrow, the decision was more to do with her now having an empty nest at home. ‘My son and stepson both went to college for the first time,’ she said on The Drew Barrymore Show. ‘They’re both freshmen, and my daughter and stepdaughter have gone already a couple of years ago. So, the nest is empty, and I feel like there’s this really grief filled part of it and then there’s this part of it that’s like, “Well, maybe I can explore my own creativity again”.’

But what of the world of wellness she’s come to reign supreme in? In October, Paltrow admitted the company took a hit due to Covid, saying they’ve ‘spent a longtime dodging bullets’ but insisted they’re now ‘back in growth mode’. In fact, insiders insist no one should be writing off the brand just yet.

‘Everybody who knows Gwyneth knows she has had opportunities to sell GOOP over the years and instead has only taken on minority investments here and there,’ the insider tells Grazia. ‘She has maintained ironclad control over this company since the days when she had two employees. It’s personal for her. GOOP makes most of its money in November and December when the products they high – light skyrocket in orders. These layoffs were about getting the company sized right for the holiday season so the company can be in a strong profit position at the end of 2024.’

While Paltrow is said to be a in a ‘world of stress’ right now, we are set to see a return to GOOP’s roots. ‘Gwyneth is going to go back to doing a lot more of the writing and product recommendations herself,’ the source continues. ‘GOOP is her long-term passion, and she seems ready to go down with the ship if she has to. But right now, the company is going to be in a stronger position starting 2025 than a year ago.’ In fact, 2025 marks the company’s 17th year in business – cue millennial panic remembering when it launched and birthed a new wellness lexicon urging readers to ‘police your thoughts’. The message from GP and team then? It’s ageing perfectly fine, thank you very much.

Rather than viewing her return to acting as a possible sign of trouble, perhaps it should be reframed as the most exciting Hollywood development in years. Paltrow will star in the A24 movie about a ping-pong champion, as Chalamet’s love interest and has been pictured kissing the 28-year-old on set.

‘I think it’s weird,’ Paltrow told Barrymore about the intimate scenes. ‘It’s like, you’re making out with someone that you’re not in a relationship with. There’s no romance. It’s very mechanical. It’s like choreography but involving tongues.’

Chalamet was, however, the perfect gentleman. ‘He is such a wonderful young man,’ Paltrow gushed. ‘He’s very polite, very talented. Just so nice to be with. I’m really having a good time with him. I’m glad that I put myself, you know, out of…just sort of back into fear a little bit again.’

And aren’t we glad too – while Paltrow has made cameo appearances and done some voice acting in recent years, her last major film was in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, later starring on limited series The Politician in 2020. Marty Supreme doesn’t have a release date yet, but also stars rapper Tyler the Creator and Odessa A’zion (known for Netflix series Grand Army). It’s A24’s most expensive project, with a $70million budget said to be loosely inspired by the life of table tennis player Marty Reisman.

Off set, Paltrow is enjoying her empty nest with husband Brad Falchuk whom she met in 2014 on the set of Glee. Earlier this year, Paltrow gave insight into exactly what makes Falchuk the perfect husband when she responded to a question about what makes a person ‘husband material’ on GOOP’s Instagram. Her criteria were, ‘Is he my best friend? Does he calm my nervous system down? Do I always think he’s the smartest guy in the room? Do we have good chemistry? Does he like oysters?’ Saving the most important for last, of course!

But seriously, their enviable Hollywood romance marks it’s 10th year this year – here’s to many more milestones for GP!