Dear Readers:
Last week, an interview clip with actor Christopher McDonald went viral.
He shared—for the first time publicly, I believe—the story of how his fiance (80s bombshell Geena Davis) cheated on him with another actor and broke off their engagement.
It was just a short clip because the whole point of being asked about this was the twist: How five years later, he was cast to play Geena Davis’s husband. But most viewers were simply shocked to learn this well-known actress ran off with the well-known actor Jeff Goldblum. Also, people didn’t know McDonald was ever even dating Geena Davis.
Others, like myself, were drawn to the “survival” aspect—how McDonald hung in there after such a devastating heartbreak and was even a gentleman about it. Then, the comments responding to the video struck me: Men feeling the gut punch and even expressing vicarious anger toward Davis; women surprised by the story as well but then some reacting to the men’s anger.
“Geez, it was 40 years ago. People make mistakes,” was the general sentiment from these women pushing back against the men.
I realized some women underestimate the pain such an experience would trigger in a the man because I don’t think they realize what a cheating partner means to his sense of value. Put another way, I don’t think these women realize how much men value the women in their lives.
Thursday, I hit the record button and spoke into the camera, sharing these thoughts. Here is the final product, published just minutes ago. I hope it triggers some thoughts and perhaps even some growth in you.
I’d love to hear if it does.
Enjoy: