One of the finest actors of our generation, Sean Penn’s
craft stands the test of time. Seeing him perform, he reaches the
inner soul of himself to channel in to each character. The
mastery of his work is magical, and unforgettable. In the image
at left, we reflect back on his amazing work in the masterful film
“Mystic River,” and below, his interview with the
press backstage at the 81st Academy Awards® after his win for
best performance by an actor in a leading role for the film
“Milk” five years later in 2009.
QUESTION: You remember being old enough to
remember Harvey Milk. Can you talk about now that you've won the
highest honor in Hollywood for this award, what it means to you
to be able to bring his story and how important you feel his
story is? Who Harvey Milk was and what he represented?
SEAN PENN: You know, that means a lot to my self
and to everybody involved, not only in the movie, but to anybody
who believes in equal rights for human beings, it's pretty
simple. And, certainly, what I mentioned from the stage earlier
tonight, to see this culture of ignorance, and that breeds this
kind of hateful expression, that these people have their signs
outside essentially telling you that you're less than human.
There's nothing more important than the themes of this movie as
well as addressing things that are simply, you know,
entertaining, I think. But there's nothing more important, and so
being part of something like that is a privilege. And when you
see something like what you saw outside today (protestors against
gays, lesbians and the film), it enhances that.
After one reporters’ question of repeating a hater’s
comments about Heath Ledger, who acted in the film
‘Brokeback Mountain’ among more, Sean Penn
responds;
SEAN PENN: I think if we get used to dismissing
these kind of comments rather than commenting on them, we'll be
better off. It's meaningless gibberish…
© 2009, The 81st Academy Awards®, The Hollywood Sentinel
®