September 11: Gwyneth Paltrow Relives Her Chance Life-Saving 'Sliding Doors' Encounter [video]

Telegraph.co.uk ^ | Sunday 11 September 2011 | Staff

[fight_truth_decay]

Mimicking the plot from her hit 1998 movie Sliding Doors, Gwyneth Paltrow recalls a chance encounter on September 11 2001 that prevented a woman from being on the 77th floor of the South Tower when a plane struck it, more than likely saving her life.

The Hollywood star recalled the encounter after receiving a letter from Lara Lindstrom Clarke, who believes the actress may have inadvertently saved her life nearly 10 years ago.

As the United States prepares to mark the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Ms Paltrow said she was more closely involved in the events than she ever realised when she found herself driving home from an early yoga class in New York on that fateful day.

"I was on the way home and it was the morning of September 11 - not that I knew at the time what that meant - and a girl [Ms Clarke] was jaywalking across the street and we kind of both stopped at the same time and waited a really long time," said Paltrow.

The pair then proceeded to do "this stop-start thing" and began to laugh before the famestruck Ms Clarke finally went on her way.

"Ten years later I got a letter from her saying that she had been late for work and we had that thing and she went down to the Christopher Street station to catch her train to go down to the World Trade Centre where she worked on the 77th floor of the South Tower and the train was just pulling out.

[fight_truth_decay]

Paltrow got me wondering how many others were saved by similar circumstances that day.

Two brothers..both NYC firemen. One had just gone on vacation in Florida with his family. The other remained on the job and died as a first responder, remains never found.

Many of us will remember 9/11 in some personal way.

[Darkwolf377]

I had another post typed about how this shows the utter self-centeredness of Hollywood stars, especially one who by complete coincidence has a movie opening this weekend, but I deleted it.

[Darkwolf377]

“Ten years later”

You mean, this weekend?

[glorgau]

How many others got there early instead of late?

It’s all chance to me.

[sinanju]

Ummmm.... is Sliding Doors the movie where Gwynnie has an evil, homicidal twin or something?

[fight_truth_decay]

Was not a movie opening this weekend, was in 1998; and even a celebrity like Ms Paltrow can feel the emotions of that day with a personal experience. We were united on that day in grief. I just found her story just one of so many...that brought strangers together on 9/11.

[max americana]

I couldn’t play the video because just like hearing Obama, it makes me wanna puke especially with this brain-dead liberal. I barely tolerated her in Iron Man.

[fight_truth_decay]

A London woman's love life and career both hinge, unknown to her, on whether or not she catches a train [1998]

[Stonewall Jackson]

My mom’s cousin was a maintenance contractor working at the Pentagon at the time. He was supposed to be doing some work in the area that was hit by Flight 77, but he had a flat tire on his way in that morning. He was almost to the parking lot when the plane hit.

[fight_truth_decay]

I watched her in Country Strong and when interviewed on The View she had a seat next to Joy “Commie” Behar; but with her back slightly turned on Behar. Behar came to the edge of her seat and sarcastically and in her usual snickering manner asked Paltrow if she was now going to make a career out of singing country? Paltrow said she enjoyed [as her friends are also in country music] country music and turned her back again on Behar.

[Allegra]

My friend Todd had been working at Morgan-Stanley in the WTC for three years at the time. He hadn’t ever taken a sick day.

Monday, Sept. 10, 2001, Todd was at work feeling lousy all day. He woke up Tuesday morning feeling achey and feverish. So, he called his boss’s voicemail, left a message that he was sick and then he went back to sleep.

The phone woke him a short time later and when he answered, it was his mom in Texas who began weeping with relief. Todd, who lived in midtown Manhattan had no clue what was going on. His mom told him to turn on the TV...and the rest is history.

Todd lost some co-workers that day. It appears that the good Lord wasn’t ready for Todd yet.

[max americana]

Those 2 belong with each other

[Free Vulcan]

Have heard so many stories like this. All I can say is that when it’s your time it’s your time, and when it ain’t it ain’t, and many strange things can happen in both situations to lead to the final outcome.

[freekitty]

She has set herself up as the Goddess of Jack of all trades. This woman flits around to more things than I can count.

[Mygirlsmom]

Our friend’s brother missed his flight getting back to the states one time....it happened to be Pan Am 103. His business partner was not so fortunate.

[rlmorel]

"...People don’t talk about work and money, they talk about interesting things at dinner...I like living here because I don’t fit into the bad side of American psychology. The British are much more intelligent and civilised than the Americans..."

Nothing against you or your post (not personal/directed at you, fight_truth_decay) but hearing people like Gwenyth Paltro talk about 9/11 after what she and her fellow liberals have done for the past years to use it as a political tool makes me pretty angry. It makes me angry in the same way Barack Obama makes me angry when he shows his face at Arlington National Cemetery, or visiting troops. Gwenyth Paltro is a nice looking woman, and that is it. That is the only non-negative thing there is about her.

[rlmorel]

Agreed.

[Mortrey]

Paltrow.....what the hell is she still doing in this country? Didn’t she move to another place because she hates America? She didn’t want to bring her spawn up in the dreaded United States.

Well, Paltrow, don’t give yourself credit for a damned thing...if you saved the life of an American by some happenstance, I expect you’re regretting it-——OR, using it for PR. FU.

[Miss Didi]

Wasn’t Ms. Paltrow disgusted by America’s flying of flags as a sign of patriotism after 9/11?