Sean Penn

Sean Penn is an American actor and filmmaker known for intense dramatic performances and films including Mystic River, Milk, and Dead Man Walking.

Mystic River: A 2003 crime drama directed by Clint Eastwood, adapted from Dennis Lehane’s novel. Penn won the Academy Award for Best Actor for playing Jimmy Markum.
Clint Eastwood: An American actor and filmmaker who directed films including Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby. Eastwood directed Penn in Mystic River, the role that brought him his first acting Oscar.
Academy Award for Best Actor: An Academy Award presented annually for a leading performance in a film. Penn won it for Mystic River and Milk.
Sean Penn in Fast Times at Ridgemont High: Sean Penn’s performance as surfer Jeff Spicoli in the 1982 comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The laid-back comic role differs sharply from the psychologically intense characters that later defined his image.
Milk: A 2008 biographical drama directed by Gus Van Sant about gay rights activist Harvey Milk. Penn won the Academy Award for Best Actor for portraying Harvey Milk.
Gus Van Sant: An American film director whose works include Drugstore Cowboy, Good Will Hunting, and Milk. Van Sant directed Penn’s portrayal of Harvey Milk.
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor: An Academy Award presented annually for a supporting performance in a film. Penn’s two competitive Oscars were for leading roles, not supporting ones.
Method acting: An approach to acting that draws on a performer’s personal experience and sustained psychological identification with a role. Penn’s immersive dramatic performances are often discussed in relation to this acting tradition.
Dead Man Walking: A 1995 drama directed by Tim Robbins about a nun accompanying a death-row inmate. Penn’s performance as inmate Matthew Poncelet earned an Academy Award nomination.
Tim Robbins: An American actor and filmmaker who wrote and directed Dead Man Walking. Robbins directed Penn in the film that earned him his first Best Actor Oscar nomination.

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Kate del CastilloRelated: Penn’s interview with Guzmán involved del Castillo, who helped arrange contact.