Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow may not be the first name one associates with high-flying fantasy and science-fiction adventure films. But with her roles in Sky Captain and this week?s mega-hyped Iron Man, that could soon change. We spoke with Paltrow on Sunday at the New York press junket for Iron Man, at which she spoke about finding her inner comic-book hero?

NOTE: Before reading our interview with Paltrow, be sure to read our interview with Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark/Iron Man) or go Behind Iron Man in our exclusive video interviews with the cast and director of the film.

By Joseph McCabe

I read online that your husband lent you Iron Man comic books?

That is totally fabricated! I don't know where that's from. So many people have asked me this question, and I'm like, "No?" I have no idea where that's from. That's very weird.

Did you read the Iron Man comic books?

Growing up? Not at all. Uh uh, not until I took the job. That's when I started reading them and familiarizing myself with the world of Iron Man and Tony Stark and Pepper Potts and everything.

Did Jon suggest specific ones to read?

Basically, I asked Marvel to send me comics that they thought would [be] best, 'cause there's a lot of books, and obviously I couldn't read 40 years worth of comics. They sent me a couple of big binders, and a lot of them were old, very old comics, that they had Xeroxed. Some were just partial bits of comics they thought were important, and then some of the later ones. I would read the whole thing. It was very interesting?she had a lot of different hairstyles, colors, outfits. She made quite a transition over the years.

Your character is reminiscent of the vintage woman we celebrate today. How did you interpret who you wanted her character to be?

Oh thank you! Well, when Jon kind of explained to me how he saw the relationship between Pepper and Tony, he kind of described it as that sort of 1940s comedy, you know the screwball comedies, and that he really wanted that repartee. So I didn't look to one specific film for inspiration. But I think, growing up, watching all those films, it?s kind of a world that I understood and sort of pulled certain things from, and I really like the texture of their relationship. And I love that time too?it's such an innocent yet sexy time. So it was really fun to kind of recreate that.

After Sky Captain, this is the second sci-fi fantasy that you've done. Do you have any sort of affinity for the genre?

I have an affinity for working with people I think will be inspiring, and that could be any genre. It could be?if it was a horror film but it was Martin Scorscese. I would do anything. Maybe porn I would skip, but other than that I'm open to anything.

Pepper keeps Tony's life together. Do you have someone like that in your life? Are you that organized in real life?

I try to be very organized, I like things to be organized. I'm a Libra, so if things go off balance, they go really off balance. So I try and maintain balance, and for me, that's knowing where everything is, what everyone's doing, having all the doctors' numbers. I think that's just women though, isn't it? We're like the brain of the house, the multi-taskers.

With all the back and forth between you and Tony, were there any moments that you kind of broke because it got funny or awkward?

No, we sort of stayed right in it. A lot of it was improvisation and so it was all kind of part of the thing we were creating. And he is hilarious, so luckily I was able to not ruin it.

Jon has a cameo as Happy Hogan, who plays a major role in your character?s life in the comics. Was that deliberate?

I don't know. I don't know if that's something they want to develop at a later point or another movie or not. Because she marries his character in the comic book, so you never know. We'll see! If he wants to make out with me, maybe he will.

Has there been discussion of Iron Man 2, 3, 4?

Well, when we signed on for 1, we signed on for 2 and 3. They like to kind of scoop you up for the whole thing all at once. And I would be totally thrilled if there was another one, basically because my work experience was such fun and the people involved were so talented. It's not your run-of-the-mill superhero movie in a way. The talent is so incredible. And everyone's so nice too! Sometimes you work with people who are talented, but they're tricky people. These guys were so nice to be around, and I just had the best time. So if it doesn't bomb, then we'll do another one.

Do you remember any parts that weren't in the theatrical release?

I haven't seen it yet, so I have no idea. I think now, at this point, I'm just gonna wait and see it at the big Hollywood premiere so I can see it with an audience and everything.

There's an understatement between Pepper and Tony, and Pepper obviously has a life outside Tony, which is something that's missing from a lot of romantic comedies. What do you think about their relationship as compared to other romantic stuff?

Well, what I think is different about it is that it's complicated?they have so many dynamics. She's his assistant and so he is her boss. He's a very powerful, serious guy, so there's that dynamic. But then there's also?she's a little bit of his Jiminy Cricket in a way, and she keeps trying to pull him back to center. There's also a bit of a mothering tenderness that she has for him, where she worries about him. There's also kind of a sexual kick to it all. That's what I loved about it, because there was so much that was kind of real and fun and it wasn't just one note.

I love the scene where Pepper gives Tony the ?Proof That Tony Stark Has a Heart?. What's the best gift you've ever been given?

Hmm, I've never gotten a synthetic organ before, but? Gosh. I'm really trying to think. I'm so bad. I have the worst memory ever since I had kids.

You've been taking time off recently. Why did you decide to make this movie?
It was a concurrence of a number of things. I had taken off a big chunk of time, and I was home and happy being home. Then when my son was about six months old, I started to feel a bit of an urge to work again. But I thought, "No I can't work until he's a year." Because I had given my daughter all this time at home, so I wanted to do the same for him. And just about at that time when it was a year, Jon called me, and he told me about the project and who was involved and he explained the characters and what it was going to be like and that the scenes were going to be good acting, fun scenes. He was like, "It's gonna be a good movie." He's like, "It's gonna be an entertaining kind of summer movie, but it will be good. I promise you. I make good movies and it's gonna be good." So it was really that. It all happened at just at the right time. I had always wanted to work with Robert, ever since I was little. And Jeff Bridges is, if you're an American actor, he's like God. He's like The Big Lebowski and all these amazing roles. So how do you say ?No? to that group of people? It's impossible!

Does being a mother affect what roles you choose? You did Sky Captain and now this. Do you look for movies that your kids will be able to see?

Well, probably Emma before that because? Well, Sky Captain they could see. But, no, I don't choose movies because of them. When I work, that's the part of my life that's for me because I give to them all day every day, and when I work, that's my time to kind of recharge as an artist and feel inspired and do something that's interesting and so that I feel nourished as a woman, as an artist, as a person, and then I can bring that back home.

That's a healthy attitude. What kind of stories do you want your kids to hold on to? They say comic books stay with people?

That's true! You know, it's really interesting to be a mother and to watch imaginations develop and to see kind of innately what your kids gravitate towards. My son will be an Iron Man fan, I'm sure. He's chopping everything down with swords and running around like a maniac. He's very testosterone-fueled, so I'm sure he's gonna be into comics and be into that whole world. My daughter is very imaginative and she likes to sit for hours and she creates her own worlds. She loves to be read stories and she adores everything, so I'm sure she'll be more into fairy tales and novels and that kind of kind of thing.

If you could have a superhero power, what would you choose?

Well, I've been asked this question a lot as you can imagine, so I've actually really thought about this. At first I was thinking, ?Oh, it might be cool to be invisible.? Because if you're me, then you feel like you can't observe as much as you want to, because you're being observed more. Then I thought, ?If you're invisible, that's kind of shady. Like, it's kind of unethical. It's weird?you're spying on people.? So then I thought that wasn't so good. Then I thought it would be good to be able to start a fire, because I'm always looking for matches to light candles and I can never find them because I'm so afraid my kids will find them. Then I hide them from them and myself, so I can never remember where [they are]. But then I thought, ?Well, that's only kind of one specific power and where is that really gonna get you?? So then I decided flying would be the best one.

Were you able to think of the best gift you've gotten?

Hmm, I wasn't. But I think my favorite gifts have really been books. When people have been really touched by something or moved or inspired or changed, I think it's?to get a book that someone has read and loved, I think that's a great gift. Also because it makes you understand that person more.