Paltrow plays Rosemary, a woman who weighs 136kg. She had to wear a fat suit for the role.
She was reportedly paid US$16 million for the role.
The actress expressed her regret about being in the movie near the time of its release, with W Magazine in 2001.
"The first day I tried [the fat suit] on, I was in the Tribeca Grand and I walked through the lobby. It was so sad; it was so disturbing.
Gywneth Paltrow as Rosemary in Shallow Hal. Photo / Supplied
"No one would make eye contact with me because I was obese.
"For some reason, the clothes they make for women [who] are overweight are horrible. I felt humiliated because people were really dismissive."
At the time, a film critic for The Rolling Stone wrote that despite Paltrow's "sweet" performance as Rosemary, "the film itself is little more than a series of fat jokes."
Paltrow was recently subject to criticism of her own after she made a reference to her movie role in Contagion on Instagram, comparing it to the recent coronavirus outbreak.
