Gwyneth Getting Gross?

11/25/1998 at 12:00 AM EST

Talk about strange bedfellows: Could you ever imagine the elegant Oscar-winner Gwyneth Paltrow together with the Farrelly Brothers, those purveyors of dumb-dumb comedies such as "Dumb and Dumber" and "There's Something About Mary"? Start imagining. Gwyneth is talking to the writer-director siblings about starring in their next film, "Shallow Hal," reports Variety. The comedy, written by Peter and Bobby Farrelly, is about a man who falls in love with a homely woman, despite the advice from his dying father that life should only be shared with beautiful girls. (You were expecting, maybe, "Shakespeare in Love II"?) Shooting is scheduled to begin next spring or summer. Meanwhile, Paltrow will soon be seen in "The Talented Mr. Ripley," which is being talked up as a likely Best Picture Oscar nominee.