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Sean Penn: Spirit of #MeToo Movement Is to ‘Divide Men and Women’

“I’m very suspicious of a movement that gets glommed on to in great stridency and rage and without nuance.”

Sean Penn appeared in a rare interview with the Today show Monday to talk about his new Hulu show, The First, and to criticize the #MeToo movement. Penn praised the strong female characters featured on the show with his co-star, Natascha McElhone, but shot down the idea the characters were inspired by the #MeToo movement. “I think it’s influenced by the things that are developing in terms of the empowerment of women who’ve been acknowledging each other and being acknowledged by men,” he said. “This is a movement that was largely shouldered by a kind of receptacle of the salacious.” He went on to insist that “the spirit of much of what has been the #MeToo movement is to divide men and women.” “I don’t want it to be a trend, and I’m very suspicious of a movement that gets glommed on to in great stridency and rage and without nuance,” Penn continued. “And even when people try to discuss it in a nuanced way, the nuance itself is attacked.” McElhone disagreed with the actor’s sentiments, but tried to understand his point of view, saying, “Of course it’s terrific that they’ve put a spotlight on it. But now, it’s we need to go to the places where this is happening behind closed doors, and it’s not exposed and those voices aren’t being heard.”