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Thandiwe Newton Calls Sean Penn ‘Tragic’ and a ‘Fool’ for Saying Men Are Too Feminized

Zack Sharf
·2 min read

Thandiwe Newton took a stand against Sean Penn after the actor and filmmaker made headlines for comments about men becoming too feminized in American culture. The “Milk” and “Mystic River” Oscar winner said in an interview with The Independent last week that it’s a “cowardly gene” that leads men to wear skirts.

“Dude what are you saying?” Newton wrote on Twitter in reaction to Penn’s comments. “Like for real? You’re a jibbering fool…you used to be sexy but now you’re just tragic.”

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The “Crash” and “Westworld” star added, “In front of your daughter!? That poor little mite. Thank God her Mum’s so dope. Please stop ruining the brilliance of ‘Licorice Pizza’ with this nonsense.”

Penn told one newspaper earlier this month, “I am in the club that believes that men in American culture have become wildly feminized. I don’t think that being a brute or having insensitivity or disrespect for women is anything to do with masculinity, or ever did. But I don’t think that [in order] to be fair to women, we should become them.”

The actor then doubled down on his comments while speaking to The Independent, saying, “I think that men have, in my view, become quite feminized. I have these very strong women in my life who do not take masculinity as a sign of oppression toward them. There are a lot of, I think, cowardly genes that lead to people surrendering their jeans and putting on a skirt.”

Penn was being interviewed by The Independent alongside his daughter, Dylan Penn, to promote their drama film “Flag Day.” The publication made note that Penn’s comments on men becoming “quite feminized” left his daughter “quiet, staring into space.”

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