In a poignant revelation, Minnie Driver, the celebrated actress from ‘Good Will Hunting,’ recently shared her emotional state during the 1998 Oscars, when Matt Damon, her then-recent ex-boyfriend, won the award for Best Original Screenplay. The moment, captured in a resurfaced video clip, shows a visibly upset Driver as Damon and Ben Affleck acknowledged her contribution to the film on stage.
The Oscar night in 1998 was a bittersweet moment for Minnie Driver. While the film ‘Good Will Hunting’ was receiving its well-deserved acclaim, Driver, then 53, was grappling with personal turmoil. A social media user’s observation of Driver looking “so sad” during the Oscars prompted her to reveal a deeply personal backstory.
“Matt had ended our relationship a few weeks before this, and was at the Oscars with his new girlfriend… I was devastated,” Driver disclosed, shedding light on the emotional backdrop of that night. Despite her personal heartache, she expressed a wish to have celebrated the film’s success more, recognizing its significance in cinema.
Minnie Driver and Matt Damon’s romance, kindled on the set of ‘Good Will Hunting,’ was a widely followed affair. The duo dated from 1997 to 1998, during a period when Damon’s career skyrocketed. However, their relationship met an abrupt end when Damon announced his single status on ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show.’
Damon’s public declaration of their breakup was a shock to Driver, who described his choice to announce it on television as “fantastically inappropriate.” Speaking to the Los Angeles Times in July 1997, she expressed her dismay at the manner of their separation becoming public knowledge.
As time has passed, both actors have moved on, forging their respective paths in Hollywood. Yet, this little-known aspect of their past, particularly Driver’s candid reflection on the emotional impact of their breakup, offers a more humanized view of the glitz and glamour of the Oscars and the personal stories behind the scenes.