AFI Benefit Premiere of "Good Will Hunting"©GettyImages
Celebrity couples

Minnie Driver discusses devastating Matt Damon break-up

In an appearance on the Jennifer Hudson show, Driver shared what she would tell her 25-year-old self

Minnie Driver and Matt Damon dated in the late ‘90s, after meeting in the film “Good Will Hunting.” The two dated for a year, and broke up right before awards season, resulting in some uncomfortable moments since the film went on to win multiple Academy Awards. By that time, Damon had already moved on and had a new girlfriend, a devastating development for Driver, who discussed her break up recently at “The Jennifer Hudson Show.”

AFI Benefit Premiere of "Good Will Hunting"©GettyImages
Matt Damon, Minnie Driver and Ben Affleck at the premiere of “Good Will Hunting”

Hudson shared a screenshot that shows Driver at the Oscars, with a sad expression as she watched Damon and Ben Affleck’s speech after winning best original screenplay. Driver wrote in the post, "My face,” adding various crying laughing emojis and a heart. A fan wrote, “Minnie looks so sad,” prompting another reply from Driver. “I was devastated,” she wrote. “Wish I could have celebrated more as it was an amazing moment for all of us, and for this wonderful film!”

While speaking to Hudson, Driver said that she wishes she could talk to herself at that moment, when she was 25 years old and heartbroken. She said that she wished she could hug herself at that age and provide some much needed reassurance. "I wish I could have told her, ‘Honey it’s cool, you can celebrate and life’s gonna be great and beautiful and hard and amazing,’” said Driver. “’You’re going to love again, it’ll be fine.’”


Driver and Damon’s story at the Oscars

“We’d recently broken up, I was nominated, he was nominated,” explained Driver. “He had a new girlfriend, I was totally heartbroken.”

Driver revealed that when she made the comment on the post, she’d never seen the clip or at least hadn’r seen her expression. “I’d never seen my face. The reaction when they won and they cut to me because there was a camera right in the face of the poor young 25-year-old girl, who’s about to burst into tears.”

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