PARIS : Hollywood rebel Sean Penn, winner of the best actor Oscar for his role in “Milk”, has said that he hopes the film would soon get a showing before President Barack Obama.
“Eventually we are hoping for a White House screening,” the 48-year-old actor told reporters ahead of the French launch of the acclaimed biopic about gay San Francisco politician Harvey Milk.
As California’s Supreme Court prepares to rule on whether to annul a referendum that banned same-sex marriages last year, Penn said he expected the movie would weigh on the debate.
“I think this film will be one of the steps forward,” Penn told reporters. “It will be part of the dialogue.”
“But I think things are going to go forward with or without it,” said Penn, who made a passionate plea as he received his his second best-actor Oscar for opponents of gay marriage to rethink their positions.
In Penn’s acceptance speech at the last week’s Academy Awards, he addressed Obama’s stance on gay marriages, as the President has said he is against it. “I don’t think any of us, particularly our president, would long be able to take that position because it’s not a human luxury. These are human needs, and they will be gotten,” the actor said.
Some believe Penn took it a little too far, as they felt that he seemed to be attacking the opposers to gay rights instead of focussing on promoting gay rights.
Penn said, “I think that it is a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect and anticipate their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren’s eyes if they continue that way of support.”
While there were those who were offended by the speech, those it was on behalf of were ecstatic. It was reported that the San Francisco’s Castro Theatre, located in the neighbourhood in which the real Harvey Milk based his campaign, was filled with hundreds watching a broadcast of the awards that “roared with foot-stomping standing ovations” for “Milk” when it took the prizes for best original screenplay and best actor.
On March 5, the Californian court will hear arguments in lawsuits seeking to annul the referendum, and is due to hand down a ruling within 90 days.
Channel News Asia
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