Avengers Star Sebastian Stan Explains Reintroducing Himself to Fellow Marvel Star Gwyneth Paltrow Three Times

Marvel star Sebastian Stan was “taking the piss” out of himself when he made a viral quip about having to reintroduce himself to Avengers co-star Gwyneth Paltrow a third time when they posed for a photo together at the Valentino couture show in July 2019. Pictured with Paltrow, Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli, brand founder Valentino Garavani, and supermodel Lauren Hutton, Stan captioned the photo, “Also glad I got to reintroduce myself to @gwynethpaltrow for the third time.” The Iron Man actress, who also failed to remember she appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming until she was corrected by co-star Jon Favreau, earlier went viral when a video surfaced showing Paltrow ask who Stan was during the star-studded Avengers: Infinity War premiere.

“All that I was trying to say, I was just trying to take the piss out of myself, to be honest,” Stan said when explaining the Instagram caption on The Jess Cagle Show. “We were at this event, and especially at some of the fashion events, for me I feel a bit out of my element. I try to kind of stick to myself. I’m not like that guy that goes up to people and is like, ‘Hey! How are you? Here’s who I am.’ It just doesn’t feel right.”

Stan attended Paris Fashion Week with a friend, who pointed out Stan knows Paltrow after they both appeared in Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

“I was like, ‘I don’t know if we really worked together.’ So I guess we got thrown in that group photo,” Stan recalled. “I was like, ‘Hey, by the way, it’s Sebastian.’ I think she sort of just gave me this look. I was like, ‘From Avengers, we met…’ and then the picture was taken, I’m not even sure if she [remembered me]. It was just like a weird moment.”

“I was like, ‘My God, I’ve introduced myself to this poor woman a third time, she must think I’m just this crazy person,’” Stan added.

After Spider-Man star Tom Holland joked he was heartbroken over Paltrow forgetting she appeared in Homecoming, Favreau explained why the Pepper Potts actress sometimes can’t recall her Marvel appearances or co-stars, telling Access:

She is the most focused person you’ll ever meet, and the most talented actor you’ll ever work with. And it’s very in the moment and very authentic and emotional, her portrayal. And I think that’s part of why the [Marvel Cinematic Universe] has been so successful is she really grounded and anchored it with Robert [Downey Jr]. But I know with Gwyneth, she also doesn’t dwell on or look at her performances in the past. She’ll show up at the premiere, she’ll show up on set. She doesn’t like to linger on playback or see things. Some actors, like me, I tend to like to look at the screen and watch what I did and come back, but she very much trusts the director. She does the work, she sees the film at the premiere, and then she moves on to other things.

Stan next reprises his role as Bucky Barnes opposite Sam Wilson actor Anthony Mackie in Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, currently on an indefinite production pause as result of the coronavirus crisis.