Even now, I can't quite wrap my head around that Matt Damon interview. Without the video evidence alongside the appalling transcript, I might have doubted its authenticity. But it's undeniably real. Damon's lack of awareness is staggering; he comes across as an enormous jerk. Sure, we've known he had issues for years. Yet this interview was so egregious that merely calling for his cancellation feels insufficient. The pushback—especially from prominent figures—is remarkable. Among them is Minnie Driver, who was in a relationship with Damon in the '90s until he revealed their breakup on Oprah's show without warning her. Her response:
Driver engaged with followers on Twitter and, surprisingly, stayed on topic—no personal drama. She was particularly incensed by Damon's suggestion that 'we can work with that' regarding a predator who merely masturbated in front of non-consenting women and gave a flimsy apology. Driver found it infuriating that Damon seemed to downplay the suffering of countless women, as if being groped or assaulted isn't serious unless it's the worst possible case. In another tweet, she wrote: 'You don’t get to be hierarchical with abuse. And you don’t get to tell women that because some guy only showed them their penis, their pain isn’t as great as a woman who was raped.' Well put.
Beyond Driver's measured remarks, Alyssa Milano also weighed in heavily. I won't post every tweet, but here's a sample: From Alyssa Milano's Twitter account.
I have no issue with her statements. Sure, we could craft lengthy essays titled 'Why Matt Damon Should Keep Quiet' or 'Matt Damon Reveals His True Colors.' But right now, I'm almost glad that a figure of Damon's industry standing is exposing his true nature. It allows us to point at him and declare: 'This is the problem. This is why abusers get away with it for so long—because this is how influential white men genuinely think.'
Images courtesy of Backgrid.
