Minnie Driver explains why she was 'devastated' watching ex Matt Damon win Oscar
Minnie Driver has revealed why she felt "devastated" watching ex-boyfriend Matt Damon win an Oscar for their film Good Will Hunting back in 1998.
The actress, 53, spoke out after a video clip of Damon and Ben Affleck accepting the nod for Best Original Screenplay was posted on the Instagram account Movie Shmood.
It included a glimpse of Driver looking crest fallen watching her co-stars, as Affleck gave her a shout-out in their speech.
Driver and Damon began a relationship after playing love interests in the film, but had split by 1998 after one year of dating. By the time of the Oscars, Damon had already moved on with a new girlfriend who attended the ceremony with him.
While said girlfriend had not been named, Damon started dating actress Winona Ryder shortly after his break-up with Driver and it is known that she did attend the 1998 Oscars.
After a fan commented that Driver looked "so sad" in the video, the actress agreed with them in the comments section and offered some context.
"Matt had ended our relationship a few weeks before this, and was at the Oscars with his new gf... I was devastated. Wish I could have celebrated more as it was an amazing moment for all of us, and for this wonderful film!"
A further blow was that Damon shared their split to the world in a very public way during an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
"Well, I’m single. I was with Minnie for a while, but we’re not really romantically involved anymore, we’re just really good friends. I love her dearly," Damon told the chat show host.
Adding: "I care about her a lot. We care about each other a lot. It wasn’t meant to be and if it wasn’t meant to be then it’s not meant to be."
The silver lining is that they have both since found love elsewhere.
Driver has been dating Addison O'Dea since 2019 while Damon, 53, has been married to Luciana Bozán since 2005.
