Monday nights in East Hampton tend to be a quiet and laid-back ordeal. But last night, the East End had something to buzz about. It wasn’t because of some new zoning law or hot restaurant opening; Gwyneth Paltrow was coming to town! No, she wasn’t there to dine on green grub with her brood. She hosted a premiere of the film Hector And The Search For Happiness, starring Simon Pegg, Rosamund Pike, Toni Collette, and Stellan Skarsgård, and directed by Peter Chelsom. So who showed up for movie night, armed with popcorn and soda? The tanned audience included likes of Tracy Anderson, Blythe Danner, Alina Cho, Kelly Framel, Zachary Lynd, Kyle DeWoody, Nacho Figueras, and Delfina Blaquier. Even Paltrow’s partner in conscious uncoupling, Chris Martin, was in attendance, spurring quite a few loud whispers. Gossip aside, the film was all about happiness: The film’s main character, Hector, a humdrum psychiatrist played by Pegg, leaves his longtime girlfriend Clara, played by Pike, to travel the world trying to answer the question, “What makes people happy?”. Through four continents and countless encounters with strangers, Pegg is left enlightened and happy. But would Pegg, who’s the godfather of Paltrow’s daughter, Apple, ever follow the lead of his character? “I’m much more boring than that! I’d never go off and leave my family to find myself because I’m not that selfish,” Pegg said. “Plus, my family and my home is what makes me happy. That’s the center of my life!”
Après-film, attendees hopped in their cars and trekked west on Route 27 to hit the after party, hosted at Serena & Lily’s chic home goods shop in Wainscott. Among comfy armchairs, chic benches, and playful chair swings, the crowd caught up over glasses of rose and snacked on pad thai and fish and chips (and it certainly wasn’t gluten-free or organic). But however un-Goop-y the nibbles were, they sure tasted delicious. While chatting with Lily Kanter, co-founder of the shop, Paltrow came up in conversation, of course. “Gwyneth hadn’t been in our store before tonight, and she said how much she loved the place when she walked in. We hope she’ll be back in to shop!” Does anyone else predict a future Goop post on this? We do…
DENA SILVER
