Devastated by the recent death of her beloved father Bruce during a trip to Italy to mark her 30th birthday, Gwyneth Paltrow was back at work this week in an appropriately tranquil and poignant role.
The Sliding Doors star took to the streets and river of Cambridge in scenes from a BBC film portraying the life of the American poet Sylvia Plath and her English husband and fellow poet Ted Hughes.
Looking beautiful and exceptionally young, if a little wan, in her duffle coat and tweedy skirt, Gwyneth lay back and relaxed at the prow as her co-star, Road To Perdition actor Daniel Craig, poled a punt through the university's famous Backs.
Gwyneth was also spotted riding a bike for scenes relating to the early stages of the relationship between Sylvia and Ted, who met at a literary lunch and married four months later in 1956. Their involvement foundered after four years, however, and Hughes went on to have several affairs. Sylvia gassed herself to death in a London flat in 1963, aged 30.
Gwyneth's current role is very much in line with the actress' renewed interest in literary themes. She is currently appearing in an adaptation of AS Byatt's academic mystery Possession.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
