Nov 26th, 2008 · Film critic David Edelstein says the Harvey Milk biopic, starring Sean Penn, is one of the most heartfelt portraits of a politician ever made. "The personal and the political aren't just hand-in-hand," he says: "They dance."
Nov 24th, 2008 · Initially known for his role on the short-lived but critically acclaimed TV series Freaks and Geeks, the actor stars alongside Sean Penn in Gus Van Sant's newest film.
Nov 20th, 2008 · Sean Penn stars in Gus Van Sant's biopic about an out gay politician who inspired a community; screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, who grew up Mormon, says he was among those for whom Harvey Milk made a real difference.
Sep 22nd, 2006 · The new film All the King's Men is the latest adaptation of the classic novel about political corruption in Louisiana. The film gets its star power from Sean Penn, Anthony Hopkins and Jude Law -- but Democratic strategist James Carville, one of the film's executive producers, added a political pedigree to the production.
Sep 22nd, 2006 · All the King's Men is a Hollywood remake that may be even better than its Oscar-winning predecessor of 1949. Sean Penn, Jude Law and Kate Winslet star in this wrenching tale of populist politics based loosely on the life of Louisiana Gov. Huey P. Long.
Jan 16th, 2005 · NPR's Jennifer Ludden talks with actor Sean Penn about his role as a frustrated hijacker in The Assassination of Richard Nixon. The film is based on a real event from the 1970s, when Sam Byck tried to hijack an airplane, intent on crashing it into the White House.
Jan 2nd, 2005 · NPR's Bob Mondello reviews the performances of two actors who are expected to garner Oscar nominations for their performances: Kevin Bacon and Sean Penn. Both actors give harrowing psychological portraits of outsiders -- Bacon plays a former child molester in The Woodsman and Penn plays a down-and-out salesman in The Assassination of Richard Nixon.