Minnie Driver explains why she spoke out against Matt Damon's comments on sexual misconduct
By
Andrea Park
/ CBS News
Minnie Driver is doubling down on her comments regarding Matt Damon, her ex-boyfriend and former "Good Will Hunting" co-star, after she slammed him for saying alleged sexual misconduct by powerful men involved "a spectrum of behavior." After Damon's interview with Peter Travers of ABC News made the rounds, Driver responded on Twitter, "God God, SERIOUSLY?"
In an interview with the Guardian on Sunday, Driver said that she felt she "desperately needed to say something."
"I've realized that most men, good men, the men that I love, there is a cut-off in their ability to understand," said Driver. "They simply cannot understand what abuse is like on a daily level."
Driver continued that men had no right to try to explain sexual misconduct to women.
"I honestly think that until we get on the same page, you can't tell a woman about their abuse," she said. "A man cannot do that. No one can. It is so individual and so personal, it's galling when a powerful man steps up and starts dictating the terms, whether he intends it or not."
While Damon said in his interview, "I think it's wonderful that women are feeling empowered to tell their stories, and it's totally necessary," he drew fire by ruminating about whether the consequences for various types of sexual misconduct fit the crime.
"I do believe that there's a spectrum of behavior," he said. "And we're going to have to figure — you know, there's a difference between, you know, patting someone on the butt and rape or child molestation, right? Both of those behaviors need to be confronted and eradicated without question, but they shouldn't be conflated, right?"
He went on to suggest that comedian Louis C.K. has paid too high a price for his "shameful and gross" behavior.
"We live in this culture of outrage and injury, and, you know, that we're going to have to correct enough to kind of go, 'Wait a minute. None of us came here perfect.' You know what I mean?" Damon said.
Alyssa Milano hit back at Damon's comment as well and tweeted, "I have been a victim of each component of the sexual assault spectrum of which you speak. They all hurt. And they are all connected to a patriarchy intertwined with normalized, accepted--even welcomed-- misogyny." She also said, "There are different stages of cancer. Some more treatable than others. But it's still cancer."
I have been a victim of each component of the sexual assault spectrum of which you speak. They all hurt. And they are all connected to a patriarchy intertwined with normalized, accepted--even welcomed-- misogyny.
Damon has been accused of "mansplaining" in the past. In 2015, on "Project Greenlight," Damon talked over black female producer Effie Brown, who pointed out that the only black person in a particular script was a prostitute who gets slapped by her white pimp, and told her it wasn't important to have a diverse team behind the scenes.
"When we're talking about diversity you do it in the casting of the film not in the casting of the show," he said.
Minnie Driver explains why she spoke out against Matt Damon's comments on sexual misconduct
By Andrea Park
/ CBS News
Minnie Driver is doubling down on her comments regarding Matt Damon, her ex-boyfriend and former "Good Will Hunting" co-star, after she slammed him for saying alleged sexual misconduct by powerful men involved "a spectrum of behavior." After Damon's interview with Peter Travers of ABC News made the rounds, Driver responded on Twitter, "God God, SERIOUSLY?"
In an interview with the Guardian on Sunday, Driver said that she felt she "desperately needed to say something."
"I've realized that most men, good men, the men that I love, there is a cut-off in their ability to understand," said Driver. "They simply cannot understand what abuse is like on a daily level."
Driver continued that men had no right to try to explain sexual misconduct to women.
"I honestly think that until we get on the same page, you can't tell a woman about their abuse," she said. "A man cannot do that. No one can. It is so individual and so personal, it's galling when a powerful man steps up and starts dictating the terms, whether he intends it or not."
While Damon said in his interview, "I think it's wonderful that women are feeling empowered to tell their stories, and it's totally necessary," he drew fire by ruminating about whether the consequences for various types of sexual misconduct fit the crime.
"I do believe that there's a spectrum of behavior," he said. "And we're going to have to figure — you know, there's a difference between, you know, patting someone on the butt and rape or child molestation, right? Both of those behaviors need to be confronted and eradicated without question, but they shouldn't be conflated, right?"
He went on to suggest that comedian Louis C.K. has paid too high a price for his "shameful and gross" behavior.
"We live in this culture of outrage and injury, and, you know, that we're going to have to correct enough to kind of go, 'Wait a minute. None of us came here perfect.' You know what I mean?" Damon said.
Alyssa Milano hit back at Damon's comment as well and tweeted, "I have been a victim of each component of the sexual assault spectrum of which you speak. They all hurt. And they are all connected to a patriarchy intertwined with normalized, accepted--even welcomed-- misogyny." She also said, "There are different stages of cancer. Some more treatable than others. But it's still cancer."
Damon has been accused of "mansplaining" in the past. In 2015, on "Project Greenlight," Damon talked over black female producer Effie Brown, who pointed out that the only black person in a particular script was a prostitute who gets slapped by her white pimp, and told her it wasn't important to have a diverse team behind the scenes.
"When we're talking about diversity you do it in the casting of the film not in the casting of the show," he said.
In:- Matt Damon
Andrea is an entertainment producer at CBSNews.com
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