Actor and film director Sean Penn said in a recent interview that as a straight man he would not be cast today to play gay icon Harvey Milk, a role in which he won an Oscar for Best Actor in 2009.
During a New York Times interview published over the weekend, columnist Maureen Dowd broached the subject with Penn.
“No,” Penn replied. “It could not happen in a time like this. It’s a time of tremendous overreach. It’s a timid and artless policy toward the human imagination.”
The 2008 movie “Milk” tells the story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected public official in California.
At the time, Penn was praised for his work in the role but now there is sometimes an outcry when straight actors are cast as gay characters, Dowd states in the article.
Penn also revealed in the interview that he was “miserable” on sets for 15 years after making the movie. “‘Milk’ was the last time I had a good time,” he said.
Penn is a two-time Oscar winner for Best Actor, winning his first for “Mystic River” in 2004.
