‘It’s different’: Minnie Driver reflects on how Hollywood has changed since she became famous

Minnie Driver, who rose to fame in the 1990s, is now appearing as Elizabeth I of England in the second season of The Serpent Queen. And the fact that she can immerse herself in these exciting roles is, in her opinion, a sign of positive change in the entertainment industry. After a decades-long career in Hollywood, Driver talks about how the industry has fundamentally changed for women since the 1990s.

Minnie Driver talks about how Hollywood has evolved for women

Minnie Driver participated in a panel discussion about the second season of The Serpent Queen at The London West Hollywood, hosted by PEOPLE, Entertainment Weekly and Starz. She spoke about the evolving opportunities for women in the entertainment industry since her big break over 20 years ago.

“Today we can be over 40,” she said. “It’s different. I don’t know what made me think that women were just getting into it, even though I think they’ve already gone through the rigors of being seen only sexually.”

Driver highlighted the changing roles and experiences of women, including the extraordinary breadth that comes with age, motherhood and the decision to remain childless, which reflects the development of the body. “I saw a movie the other day that I really wanted to be in, and I’m so glad I’m not in that damn movie,” she recalls. “Because I was conditioned to think that, because that was the best thing on offer at the time, and everyone was vying for the same role.”

Driver revealed that she watched the same film with her now 15-year-old son, who couldn’t believe an actress wanted to be a part of it. “That was the kind of dynamic that we fought for and longed for,” she added. “And you realize that there’s so much more variety now in what’s required of a female actress, which is invigorating and amazing.”

This isn’t the first time Driver has spoken out about her unfair treatment in the ’90s. When she appeared on Jameela Jamil’s SiriusXM podcast “I Weigh with Jameela Jamil” in April, she said producers of “Hard Rain” didn’t allow her to wear a wetsuit as part of her character’s costume. She also said she complained to her agent about her request to wear a wetsuit on set like other actors, and after she spoke out, people on set stopped talking to her.

Minnie Driver says marrying Josh Brolin would have been a mistake

Minnie Driver has admitted that marrying Marvel actor Josh Brolin would have been the biggest mistake of her life. In her 2022 memoir Managing Expectations, she revealed that at the age of 12, she found out that her parents had never married because her father was already married to another woman and had a second family.

In a new interview with The Sunday Times, she spoke about how her father’s double life affected her own relationships with men. “When I look back at my past, it led to me wanting to get married so badly and then choosing men who were absolutely not right. So I kept yearning to be married and have this conservative version (of a relationship), finding men who weren’t interested in that, and when they were, I left.”

She continued, “The one time I was engaged was, I think, the biggest mistake of my life.” Driver was referring to her engagement to Josh Brolin, whom she met on the set of the 2000 thriller “Slow Burn.” They were engaged in 2001 but announced their separation five months later. Brolin, who played Thanos in the MCU, married Diane Lane and later Kathryn Boyd.