Thandiwe Newton has hit back at Sean Penn over the controversial comments he made about masculinity.

On Sunday, the Westworld star shared a report about remarks Penn had made during an interview with iNews, in which he asserted that men in American culture had become “wildly feminised”.

“Dude what are you SAY-ING?? Like for REAL? You’re a jibbering FOOL. MF (motherf**ker) you used to be sexy but now you’re just tragic,” the 49-year-old actress tweeted in response.

Penn reiterated his remarks in an interview with The Independent alongside his daughter and Flag Day co-star Dylan Penn, who he shares with actress Robin Wright.

“In front of your DAUGHTER!? That poor little mite. Thank God her Mum’s so dope,” Newton added in a second tweet. “Please stop ruining the brilliance of #LicoricePizza with this nonsense.”

In the recent Independent interview, Penn, who has a small role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza, said, “I think that men have, in my view, become quite feminised. I have these very strong women in my life who do not take masculinity as a sign of oppression toward them.”

The Oscar winner explained that he thinks there are “cowardly genes” that lead to men “surrendering their jeans and putting on a skirt”.

– Cover Media