Minnie Driver The Outspoken British Star On Ageing, Anger, And Speaking Up

‘WOMEN SHOULD DO WHATEVER THE F*CK THEY WANT’

The outspoken British star talks to Laura Craikabout burnout, beauty standards and female anger

You could say that Minnie Driver is having a moment right now, but if you grew up a fan of Circle Of Friends, Grosse Point Blank and Good Will Hunting, you’ll know her ‘moment’ has really lasted 30 years. Still, the past 12 months have been something of a Minn-aissance. As well as rave reviews for her sold-out run of West End play Every Brilliant Thing, she recently starred in the new season of Emily In Paris, with a comedic turn as Princess Jane. And now, she’s starting 2026 on a different, deadly serious foot as Ingrid, the mother of a missing child in Run Away, the latest hit Harlan Coben thriller on Netflix. Surprisingly, for an actor who’s been working since 1991, it’s the first time Driver, 55, has worked on a crime thriller. ‘I’d never done anything like it before. I’m not usually a big murder-sleuthing TV programme person, but everyone I know is and loves Harlan Coben, so it had a lot of appeal to a lot of people,’ she says. ‘It’s such a good story – so many twists.’ She enjoyed the step change after working on Emily In Paris, which she describes as ‘an amazing, fast-moving train’, admitting it was hard to join a show that’s now in its fifth season. ‘It takes confidence to insert yourself into that landscape – you’re walking into a brand and you’re the guest.’ It helped that its creator and writer, Darren Starr, is an old friend, as is Lily Collins. ‘I’ve known Lily since she was 11 – her dad [musician Phil Collins] did the title song to Tarzan [the 1999 film in which Driver voiced Jane] and we all went to the Oscars and the Golden Globes together.’ She also became great friends with Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, who plays the inimitable Sylvie. ‘She’s so beautiful she’s like staring into the sun.’

PHOTOGRAPHS JASON HETHERINGTON STYLING MARTHA WARD Published on 5th January 2026

After 27 years living in California, Driver moved back to her native London in 2021, prompted by how much her son, Henry, enjoyed attending school there during lockdown – although she still has a home in Malibu. Now 17, Henry is currently studying for his A-levels. The two sound very close. ‘He and I have an enormous amount of dialogue about everything, and have done since he was little,’ she says. ‘We talk about accountability, and boys who’ve been raised to believe that there’s a certain level of entitlement around the way in which they behave. That for me is a parent’s job.’ A vocal supporter of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements – she’s spoken before about how she was ‘completely and utterly vilified’ for speaking up about the sexism she faced in her career – she’s cautiously optimistic that the entertainment industry is becoming a better place for women. ‘It’s changing. It’s not perfect, but it’s definitely different. There’s more accountability for men, and [for] people who would carry on that kind of toxic environment. That accountability means the landscape is a lot safer for women. Men also know that everyone’s got a phone and everyone’s recording, which makes them much more self aware. We could never say that there aren’t extraordinary dangers with social media, but in terms of giving people a voice, certainly within my industry, it’s better that you can get to the truth of who somebody is. I’m hoping that young women feel a lot more empowered to speak their minds without fear of reprisal, which is how it was when I was younger.’ While plenty of actresses lament the paucity of well-rounded roles they were offered early on in their careers, one-dimensional characters are not something that have plagued Driver’s. ‘I always got really good parts. All the characters I’ve played have had extraordinary dimensions, although I do feel women have to augment their roles more than men. They’re always slightly underwritten. If you’re acting alongside a male lead, invariably they require you to add something, which I became very used to doing. But I do think [female] roles are getting better, because there are more female writers.’

I’M NOT INTERESTED IN HAVING A 35-YEAR-OLD FACE ON MY OLDER BODY

Coat, £399, AllSaints; shirt, £99, Whistles; jeans, £108, Free People; earrings (worn throughout), £145, Missoma

Jacket, £260, 7 For All Mankind; jeans, £450, Giorgio Armani; necklace, £149, Missoma

MINNIE DRIVER

She has no immediate desire to write a script herself, but is currently working on another book (her first, a memoir, came out in 2022). She hasn’t had time to watch a lot of TV recently, but says she loved Lily Allen’s new album. ‘It was like watching a film, listening to that record. Women have spent so long being silenced, not allowed to talk about things that are painful, or their experience with female rage. ‘I’m not very rageful any more,’ she adds. ‘I was much angrier when I was younger. I feel happy being an avatar for other people’s rage, which I see a lot in the writing that I’m coming across. ‘When I get angry, I get frustrated, so I dance, I surf, I run. I would encourage anyone who is feeling angry to go and move your body around, because it somatically shakes that shit up. Women are angry and rightfully so, but it’s good – everything’s coming to a head. We’re not going to be vilified for being angry any more.’

After a relationship history that includes Matt Damon, John Cusack, Josh Brolin and Timothy J Lea (Henry’s father), in 2018 she met her current partner, documentary maker Addison O’Dea. Finding love at 50 sounds like the title of a bad self-help book: can she channel her inner Carrie Bradshaw and give hope to those still doubting they’ll ever find love? ‘Let it all burn to the ground!’ she whoops. ‘1,000% embrace the notion that you’re never going to meet anyone ever again. Sit with it. Become celebratorily OK with it. Then if a guy walks into your life – great. And if a guy doesn’t walk into your life – also great. I would’ve been fine if Addison had never shown up, though I’m so glad he did. But we’ve got to get over the idea that we are incomplete if we don’t have a man. It’s not true.’ Stream ‘Run Away’ on Netflix now

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I’M NEVER HAPPIER THAN ON A SET. I LOVE THE STRANGENESS

MINNIE DRIVER

Top, £90, Calvin Klein; jeans, £210, 7 For All Mankind

Jumper (around shoulders), £295, Sunspel; grey jumper, £310, Navygray; jeans, £100, Levi’s

Last December, she posted a joke on Instagram about getting a new face: months later, Kris Jenner went out and bought one. ‘I think women should be allowed to do whatever the fuck they want,’ she says now. ‘If Kris Jenner wants to go and get a new face, and can afford it, I support that, even if it might not be right for me. ‘ I’m more interested in my body working; that I can still run 10k when I want to. I’m so much more interested in longevity. I’m not interested in having a 35-year-old face on my older body. I want to be around a long time. I want to be like The Hulk. I want to be strong and vibrant and drink enough green juice to actually turn slightly green.’ Asked how she’s sustained a long career in such a difficult industry, her answer is simple. ‘You’ve got to really, really love the work. I’m never happier than on a set. I love the weird hours, the strangeness of it all –even when it’s 4am and pouring with rain and you just want to go home. I’d still rather be doing this than anything else. But you also have to establish a life outside of it, which took me a long time to figure out. I reached a real burnout in the early 2000s. It wasn’t sustainable. So I took some time out, reset and reestablished what my life was outside of work.’

Shirt, £380, and T-shirt, £160, Agolde; trousers, £190, Samsøe Samsøe; necklace, as before

MINNIE DRIVER:

Kate’s next act

Coat, price on request, Mugler; shoes, £675, Jimmy Choo; tights, £35, Wolford; watch, £1,500, Longines; earrings, £680, Lisa Eldridge

As she makes her directorial debut, Kate Winslet tells Otegha Uwagba why now was the right time to make the leap

PHOTOGRAPHS Alexi Lubomirski STYLING Cheryl Konteh Published on 8th December 2025

Left: Blazer, £1,290, Victoria Beckham at Selfridges; trousers, £260, Marina Rinaldi; bracelet, black ring with diamond, and earrings all as before Right: Shirt, £375, Joseph; bow tie, £165, Turnbull & Asser; watch, £1,500, Longines; earrings as before

Left: Jumper (around shoulders), £295, Sunspel; grey jumper, £310, Navygray; jeans, £100, Levi’s Right: Top, £90, Calvin Klein; jeans, £210, 7 For All Mankind