Sean Penn says #MeToo movement is 'dividing men and women'

Sean Penn has left some people scratching their head in confusion after remarks he made about the #MeToo movement.

The actor was on the Today Show with his co-star Natascha McElhone where he talked about his new Hulu show The First, which is about a mission to Mars. It features lots of women in powerful positions, including the president, who is a woman.

Was the show’s decision to put women in empowering positions informed by #MeToo? Natalie Morales asked.

McElhone, the female in this discussion, pointed out the ‘deeply disturbing’ trend in TV that means women aren’t usually depicted in this way. Penn on the other hand, hoped it wasn’t informed by #MeToo.

I'd like to think that none of it was influenced by what they call the movement of #MeToo. 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. This is a movement that was largely shouldered by a kind of receptacle of the salacious.

Morales asked him what he meant by ‘receptacle of the salacious?’

Well, we don't know what's a fact in many of the cases.

Salacious is as soon as you call something a movement that is really a series of many individual accusers, victims, accusations, some of which are unfounded.

The spirit of much of what has been the #MeToo movement is to divide men and women.

Some people agree with him, arguing that the movement lacks 'nuance'.

But mostly, they said that he wasn't qualified to talk about #MeToo.

And pointed out McElhone's reaction to his words...

To say the least, not everyone appreciated his comments.

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