In a very syrupy interview with Tavis Smiley Wednesday on PBS, leftist actor Sean Penn talked about his role in "Milk" and how "the criticism people get tend to be from failed actors. Like the Fox anchors who are just clearly very envious." I suspect that's a shot at Bill O'Reilly, and I would expect Bill to reply.
Smiley honored him for his embrace of humanity, and wondered if America could yet celebrate a film about gay liberation:
SMILEY: Before my three minutes is up with you - this whole show goes so fast - I want to come back to the close of our conversation by talking about the thing - respectfully, and this is just my own opinion - that I honor about you as much, maybe even more, than your acting gift, which is your embrace of humanity, and I want to know where that comes from. What is it about you that allows you to stand in your truth, to raise these issues, to not bite your tongue, to embrace humanity? Where does that come from? You've always been that way or you grew into that? Help me understand that.
PENN: I think that it relates to acting, in a way. And I appreciate you saying it, but to the degree it's true with me. I think that the demand inside, if there's a final demand, it's to feel your own life while you're living it, and that's the demand of what you have to be searching for in a character also, when you're playing a character. And so it's all one thing to me because it all was based on that, and so when you're not involved in the world, you're not involved in the movie. When you're not involved -- I get very bored guarding myself from feeling the world around me, and so I do find myself drawn to participate.
SMILEY: And how do you juxtapose the feeling that you get from doing that, the call to do that, with the risk you take in so doing?
PENN: For example, the criticism people get tend to be from failed actors. (Laughter) Like the Fox anchors who are just clearly very envious; the failed actors, and that kind of people. And what they don't know is that you're raised on resilience as an actor to that.
SMILEY: I'll leave it at that. That's about as straightforward as it comes.
Earlier, Smiley urged Penn to tell him about how he embraced humanity in the making of this movie:
SMILEY: Did you see this script -- this screenplay, as the telling of the story of a gay man who made history or a movie about humanity?
PENN: When I first read the script I would say that I saw it as a movie about people in this situation which is very present. It's present in all stages of politics, of people's, I think not right, but the human need for equal rights and all of those things that become an emotional story.
And that can be in a fiction, it can be in a biopic. But I didn't -- you know, you're aware. I do live in the broader society and I'm aware as I'm reading it of the particularities of the gay aspect of the story and so on, but they're not dominant in the way of perceiving it originally.
It becomes very important in terms of the motivations of the storytelling and the performances of all the characters, because it's a particular kind of oppression that's been experienced for forever leading up to it that has so much to do with the choices that they make and the needs that they have and the obstacles that they're up against, but in terms of playing a character in a movie, whether it's a real person or so on, it's really so much more to do with personality than sexual orientation or job description or any of that.
Then Tavis wanted to know if Penn was disappointed because America, as backward as it still remains, isn’t exactly breaking through the turnstiles to see this movie:
SMILEY: I want to move beyond this. The back story of why I asked that question, which I will turn into a question - I ask that question in part because I wanted to know what your reactions were when you first saw it, because I wonder whether or not there was ever a thought through your mind at this point in your career that a story like this, no matter what you thought of it, could sell, could work, could be celebrated - never mind all the great acting skills you bring to the table.
Could a story like this be celebrated in this America? This ain't the America that it was a hundred years ago, but any thought ever to whether or not you wanted to invest yourself in a project like this that no matter how good you were going to play this character, that it really wouldn't get off the ground?
PENN: That's always a question that you have. It's not always the deciding factor, but it's always a question. And increasingly, I think, with time and the investments you have in stories that you've been involved with or in the people that you're involved in the making of it and the way it's important to them, you become increasingly aware of the possibilities of distribution.
Because whether you're making a film that's very personal or for very broad appeal, the intention is to share it with as many people as possible. And it's very difficult with stories like these, and it's not until it gets certain accolades or things that happen to it that it has a chance at all of that, of getting a wider audience. But I think when something is strong enough in you and it hits you hard enough, and that's very difficult to identify why or how, that you go forward with it nonetheless.
PS: One reason the Academy Awards broadcast has been sinking in the ratings is the tendency to embrace arty or edgy movies that critics love, but few people have seen. There are some exceptions this year – Dark Knight, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and the surprising nod for Tropic Thunder – but most of the “celebrated” films have seen meager returns at the box office. Milk, for example, has grossed only 23.8 million dollars to date in limited release.
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.
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Once again proving my
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 08:29 ET by motherbeltOnce again proving my assertion that they make the kind of movies they want to make, not what the public wants to see.
I guess this is their attempt to feel like they are not just paid entertainers; that they have a higher duty: serving humanity by lecturing us on how we ought to be.
So I'm guessing Penn's next project will be "Chavez."
(edited)
I didn't think it was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows. -Bart Simpson
or how about a loveable
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 09:35 ET by TruthMongeror how about a loveable kiddie perv?!
again i ask - when do the poor forgotten peds get their brave hollywood voice?!?!?
sho biz pedophobes - sheesh>:(
When I think of Penn the
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 08:34 ET by ricklailWhen I think of Penn the character, Spanolli (?), in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, comes into mind-a drugged out freak. Where was this guy when brains were passed out?
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same. RWR
Spicoli
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 08:44 ET by WhoIsJohnGaltJeff Spicoli...dude.
"All I need is a tasty
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 23:20 ET by TheBigB"All I need is a tasty wave, and a cool buzz, and I'm just fine."
".....And as we look at the News at 10 time-lapse SkyCam, we see as the sun goes down it gets dark."
Sheesh!!
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 08:47 ET by DontFeedTheTrollsFirstly, let's look at this quote:
For example, the criticism people get tend to be from failed actors.
Does he mean the constant, never-ending, no holds barred criticism that Bush, Cheney, et al received and still receive from Penn and his ilk?? Is he calling himself a 'failed actor'? I, personally, think he is a failed human being.
Secondly, this constant push from the left to accept homosexuality, the leanings of less than 5% of humanity, as a mainstream lifestyle, is patently absurd. Mother Nature (you know, the great Gaia, whom we should all respect, if not worship, according to the left) abhors homosexuality so much so that She passes a death sentence on all who practice it. Mother Nature created Aids. Mother Nature made sure homosexuals cannot procreate. Don't the leftists see the dichotomy here?? Sheesh.
D
Keep the ILLEGALS out, join NumbersUSA to send free faxes to your reps.
Huh? This sounds like the ramblings of a "failed politican"...
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 08:53 ET by JohnMcGrew...who envies people who actually matter in society.
It also suggests that "Jeff Spicoli" wasn't just an act.
Dude, you're just an actor. Accept it and you'll be happier in life.
So what's the difference
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 08:55 ET by Trix RabbitSo what's the difference between a failed actor and a sanctimonious schmuck who makes crappy movies that the critics adore but the public avoids?
For the MSM: In your pomp and all your glory, you're a poorer man than me. As you lick the boots of death born out of fear.
Ian Anderson "Wind up"
always, ALWAYS take anything a liberal actor says....
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 09:01 ET by clinging to my guns and my religion...as trash! after all, these people's bread is buttered by making the general populace believe they are something they're not. they spend so much time creating fantasy worlds that they cannot discern where fantasy ends and the real world begins.
"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle." Edmund Burke
Well that was painful
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 09:58 ET by Calypso JonesI'm not sure which one is the bigger bull shipper.
"Method Actor"
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 09:58 ET by Radar_OneOK so Sean Penn is a method actor...does this mean that for his research of the role of Harvey Milk he was on Castro Street in San. Fran. cruising for a piece of ____??? I mean did he take himself seriously, and try to "live" in character??
Oh, and another thing...since when is Sean Penn a serious actor, isn't he the son of Leo Penn(the blacklisted Communist director) oh well I guess Socialism is genetically imprinted in his DNA.
I still remember him "helping" in New Orleans in a john boat with himself and 8 media cameramen and reporters, him bailing out the water with a dixie cup and Marlboro red hanging from his mouth because he didn't have enough COMMON SENSE to not you know....OVERLOAD the boat.
Barack Obama= Half Honkey...ALL Donkey
Sean who?
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 14:52 ET by AndanteRather than enjoy the adulation of his sycophantic fans, he obsesses on those who see and especially those who expose his irrelevance. He will never have a really good day because he will forever stew in the harsh reality of his useless existence.
-------------------------------------
"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."
Thomas Jefferson
Ben Affleck, George Clooney
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 10:15 ET by fitzfongBen Affleck, George Clooney and Matt Damon (and, to some extend Richard "Lemmiwinks" Gere) have always struck me as intellectual lightweights and Rat Pack posers who dive into politics so that they might be taken more seriously. It works for them because even though most of us know that their musings expose them for the infantile jokes that they are, some fans actually believe that they sound studious and deep. Sean Penn, on the other hand, sounds like a paranoid, bitter man who angrily lashes out at anyone who has the temerity to disagree with him. I'm sure he'll win the Oscar for his portrayal of Harvey Milk, but he'll only use that as an excuse to release some more of his self-righteous bile. Wonder how those big, scary "Fox News Anchors" will try to "get" him this time?
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." -Winston Churchill
Well Said Fitzfong
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 10:50 ET by Morgan StevensYou are right on the money about Clooney Toons, Teeth Damon, ol' Gerbels Geer, J-Lo Affleck and Sean (my minds on vacation but my mouth is always working overtime)Penn. The only thing I could add is the great passage from Laura Ingraham's book Shut Up and Sing where at page 82 therein she says, in reference to Penn, "Spicoli you're no Spinoza". Penn is so damn stupid he couldn't hit water even if he fell out of a boat.
Can you say idiot.
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 10:35 ET by jdlybrandnewsisblues
Sounds to me like he gets a thrill up his leg whenever he says anything. Sort of like selfrighteous, intellectual masturbation. Hey Spicoli; you're the only one getting off. The rest of us are simply repulsed.
Oh no, another applicant for the insane asylum.
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 10:52 ET by needle"Sean Penn: My Critics Are 'Failed Actors, Like the Fox Anchors' Who Envy Me."
It sounds as if Sean is preparing for the role of Napoleon.
Impunitas semper ad deteriora invitat.
Probably a sociopath....
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 21:24 ET by BDProbably a sociopath....
Sean Penn
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 11:10 ET by mothergooseEmbrace humanity? Isn't this the guy who pled guilty to domestic violence? He must only embrace humanity in the abstract.
Dear Mr. Sean Penn,I think you are jealous.
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 11:19 ET by donsalimanThese Fox Anchors are watched by more people every day,then Sean Penn in all his movies together.
Sean Penn
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 11:25 ET by blazermaniacI don't think that anyone envys you. As a matter a fact, I think people laugh at you for your pathetic comments and your unwatchable movies. He is picking on FNC, like Olbercrap does. They would love to get attention anyway they can get it. Penn is absolutely JEALOUS of the Fox News Channel.
Sean do you realize....
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 11:40 ET by Lord Erond(and I'll quote Ron Livingston's character from Band of Brothers here)..
"...how many guys here would double time a run up Curahee in full pack just to piss in your morning coffee?"
You're a savage violent out of control loser. I wish you would take the Kurt Cobain route and save us all a lot of misery. A--hole.
"What you can not enforce, do not command" -Sophocles-
That failed actor like your coked up brother?
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 11:46 ET by Lord ErondOh that's right....he's dead.
"What you can not enforce, do not command" -Sophocles-
Did a quick read thorugh--
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 11:49 ET by misterbillDid a quick read thorugh-- and did not see a word about the absolutely disgusting fawning Tavis Smile laid upon Penn.
Is there something I do not know that puts Smiley above your comments or opinions???
" I want to come back to the close of our conversation by talking about the thing - respectfully, and this is just my own opinion - that I honor about you as much, maybe even more, than your acting gift, which is your embrace of humanity, and I want to know where that comes from. What is it about you that allows you to stand in your truth, to raise these issues, to not bite your tongue, to embrace humanity? Where does that come from? You've always been that way or you grew into that? Help me understand that."
I bet Smiley likes Barney Frank's loving positions too!
I just have to add this---
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 11:56 ET by misterbillI saw "Mystic River". It starred two actors that I do not like in real life Penn and Robbins. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the movie. Some of it, probably, because I grew up in that area and there was a lot of nostalgia for me.
Now--another movie--
A few years back--I went to see "A Thin Red Line". About 20 minutes into the picture, I commented that Penn's character and acting were absolutely terrible and we got up and left. I generally avoid his movies. I never attend (except for Mystic River) and movies with Sarandon or Robbins among others.
Somehow these celebrities
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 12:04 ET by QueenMumSomehow celebrities of Penn's ilk get the idea that because people pay money to see them, the public must want to be able to identify with them on a more personal level. Narcissistic babies. I think Johnny Depp is a good example of an actor who takes his craft more seriously than he takes himself. What say you, misterbill?
I know very little about Johhny Depp.
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 17:13 ET by misterbillI di, howver read some of his comments about how bad he thought America was and why he lived in France. I could not quite figure that one out.
misterbill: That's what I
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 17:49 ET by QueenMummisterbill: That's what I mean about Depp. At least he's not one of those celebrities who keeps talking about how bad America is and yet continue to live here.
I haven't seen Mystic
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 13:16 ET by fitzfongI haven't seen Mystic River, though I'm told it was really good. While I don't like Tim Robbins' politics, I think he's a very good, underrated actor. I never understood what the big deal was with Penn, though...I think he takes that Lee Strasberg bit a little far to the point that he becomes not just an overactor, but a ham. If you're ever in the mood to watch a real turd starring Sean Penn, pick up Oliver Stone's "U-Turn"...the most godawful movie I've ever seen. It had some very competent actors and a young Jennifer Lopez in it, but it was so long, so tortured and so poor that it should be revived on Mystery Science Theatre 3000.
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." -Winston Churchill
Misterbill
Sun, 02/08/2009 - 03:56 ET by thebutlerdiditOn Mystic River, the book was much better.
As far as Smiley goes, he is what he is, a liberal, rear-kissing PBS employee.
I think I will always remember the true classiness of Penn when he wed Madonna. He had painted F You on the roof in white paint, and then shot his gun up in the sky, to keep the helicopters away. Funny how stars manage to get married all the time with no one knowing, if that's what they want. One thing about it though, I do think it is odd they divorced, besides the fact that Madonna evidently doesn't like being strangled. On the surface, they seem like such a good match: semi-talented, angry, uneducated, egotistical, and not that attractive.
Bringing the government in to run Wall Street is like saying, "Dad burned the dinner, let's get the dog to cook." PJ O'Rourke
Smiley's pandering to idiots-----
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 12:15 ET by Roscoe MendagoSeems to me--
Dan White killed the wrong guy.
What some people will do to make a buck......
Goofy, But We Need To Know
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 12:45 ET by rammingspeedCelebrity Sean Penn spouts left wing talking points and gets a spot on a left wing talk show. Go figure. He's goofy but has leverage and has hurt America. We need to keep track of him and counter him, the way NB does. It's painful, but necessary.
Sean Penn=TOOL
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 13:28 ET by HeadPhonesOnSean Penn can only dream about an audience the size and consistency of Fox News. Don't these Hollywood types realize that they minimize their feeble attempt to remain relevant (through their "art") by extracting at least 1/2 of their potential audience with their political posturing? Sean Penn reminds of the kid in class that ALWAYS had to act up...anything for attention. Kinda pathetic.
The useful idiot Penn
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 14:14 ET by DelsaI am still laughing.
He actually thinks people are jealous of him? Oh my gosh.
He believes his own press.
Poor delusional little man.
Sean Penn...
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 14:04 ET by AgentAmericanSean Penn will always be known for three things:
Jeff Spicoli
A celeb who punched photographers
and the man who hogtied Madonna
(since it was Madonna, it may have been consentual...just saying)
2010: A GOP Hill
While I'm clearly not a Fox News Anchor
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 18:35 ET by TeddyWhile I'm clearly not a Fox Anchor Or an actor, Sean. Oh, to be a wart on the ass of life. How I envy thee!
And what Ye would give to be paid a king's ransom to pretend to be somebody else on film. What Ye, indeed, would give to be thee. As Ye doesn't really like who Ye is either anyway!
This then, would also afford Ye the luxury of trading pledges with the likes of a Chavez, the Castro brothers, an Acmedinnerjacket, our enemies in Iraq "et. al, who should be in ****ing jail" (GITMO to be exact) or Worse!
So where do I sign up, "dude"?
Who's Sean Penn?
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 18:55 ET by SlicksterWho's Sean Penn?
I think I want to coin a new term..."H4"
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 19:09 ET by Dont_Like_TheBluesH4 "HOLLOW HEADED HOLLYWOOD HUBRIS"
Between Mr. Penn here and Cher earlier this week as well as the past 2 years worth of BDS bull out of Hollywod I'm feeling Ill.
I am tired of people from Hollywood pontificating about everything from nuclear energy research to politics. They comment on things as if THEY THINK THEY ARE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS ON ALMOST EVERYTHING.
More to come later.....
Penn crawls out...
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 21:59 ET by ScrapironSean Penn crawls from under his rock in the monkey cage. Did he have his little red rescue cup with him? I thought he would be in Ky shoveling on a 10 foot snow drift with his busted cup and giant ego. Funny that I've never watched more than 5 minutes of any movie he's been in. I don't see a reason to start now.
Old, Retired and glad of it.
Didn't he move to Venezuela
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 23:17 ET by RR GOPDidn't he move to Venezuela yet?
Or was it Canada? Hmmm....
One of the 24% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 89% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory.
Yeah...
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 23:17 ET by mizflame98My Critics Are 'Failed Actors, Like the Fox Anchors' Who Envy Me.
I guess those Fox News Anchors are jealous of his countless awards for his journalism.
No, wait...
"Not to be a republican at twenty is proof of want of heart; to be one at thirty is proof of want of head." - Francois Guisot
yeah, they're jealous alright ...
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 23:21 ET by pmohbuckeveryone is green with envy over sean penn's dirtbag looks, smoker's hack and the drug-induced speech ... even exxon is drooling over the opportunity to drill penn's greasy hair as an alternative fuel source.
from the sound of it ... i guess the spicoli role wasn't acting after all.
WTF Is He Saying?
Sun, 02/08/2009 - 02:41 ET by yobobbybThe Gospel according to Sean Penn, premier Hollyweird douche bag in love with some real life *ssholes (not Harvey Milk's boyfriends') like Chavez and Castro. Someone please tell me what the hell he is saying.
What a mind, what an intellect! So deep, so intense...so moronic!
For example "I think that the demand inside, if there's a final demand, it's to feel
your own life while you're living it, and that's the demand of what you
have to be searching for in a character also, when you're playing a
character." Huh????? Brilliant! To be so gifted as to be able to convey an idea in a manner that only other celebutards really know what your talking about.
Hey Einstein, it's obvious that you are only capable of reciting memorized lines. Here's one that might help you if your current gig doesn't work out...."You want fries with that?"
why are leftist figures such
Sun, 02/08/2009 - 04:58 ET by semolina_filcherwhy are leftist figures such as Spicoli treated with reverence and respect as if their s**t don' stink? I will forever link Mr. liberal hero Penn, as that stoned surfer fool Spicoli for the rest of my conservative life.
Go fool, go away!
Power of Hollywood
Sun, 02/08/2009 - 19:26 ET by brerolI could care less what Hollywood folks have to say. But the fact remains Hollywood is a powerful institution. Thru the power of communications Hollywood can and does shape and move opinions one way or another. Quite often this helps the liberals get their message out loud and clear. Hollywood is entitled to their liberal opinions. But it is laughable when Penn and the rest of La La land think their world resembles middle-America.