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<p> Yes, another school assignment.  This semester my acting professor required us to do a research project on a paritcular actor.  Right away I chose Sean Penn.  I have always been blown away be his amazing talents as an actor.  I learned even more about Penn when I wrote this paper.  Penn is actually a shy person, and a little insecure in large crowds, and will never not have a drink in his hand.  This is my personality as well.  People always think I am this uber confident individual, but I fight with insecurity big time.  Sadly I must admit I have used alcohol to losen up many times when I am around others that I feel have educations and life experience way beyond my own.  What I love most is Penn's simple acting style.  He has studied method acting, but simply goes by finding the "unsung truths" about any character he plays, and expands on this.  It works for him because he still sought after after 30 years in the business.  I must also confess that I have a little bit of his rebelious and stubborn streak in me as well. :)  I had to show a clip of one of his performances.   I chose the notorious scene in "Mystic River" where he finds out his beloved daughter has been killed.  No matter how many times I watch Sean Penn in that scene it breaks my heart.  The academy award was well deserved for Penn that year.</p> <p>  </p> <p align="right"> Bryn Berg</p> <p align="right"> November 18, 2011</p> <p align="right"> Theater Arts 112</p> <p align="right"> Actor Research Project</p> <p align="center">  </p> <p align="center"> “Exploring Sean Penn”</p> <p>               Sean Penn marches to the beat of his own drum when it comes to Hollywood.  He has had run in’s with the law, a few violent outbursts with the paparazzi, and has no problems voicing his strong political opinions.  Penn humbly admits to these events and personality traits.  His stubbornness in always wanting to get his vision across in the way he plays a character, or directs a film paid off.  Penn is now often pointed out to be one of the most talented actors of his era, and is even described as “a kind of modern-day Marlon Brando”.  Penn is best known for his “intense emotional acting style”.</p> <p>             Sean Penn was born on August 17, 1960 in Santa Monica California.  His mother Eileen Ryan was an actress.  His father, Leo Penn was also in the entertainment industry.  Leo Penn taught drama at the Actor’s Studio.  Leo Penn had to leave Los Angeles abruptly in the 1950’s due to the fact that he was blacklisted from Hollywood for not testifying in the anti-Communist trials taking place at that time.  Penn’s father then relocated to New York, and landed a Broadway role in “The Iceman Cometh”.  This is where Penn’s mother and father were united, as Eileen Ryan also had a part in the play.  The pair married and settled back in Los Angeles where Leo Penn went on to be a well respected television director.  The marriage produced three sons.  Michael was born first, followed by Sean, and then Chris.  The artistic genes managed to be passed onto these offspring.  Sean’s oldest brother Michael is a very talented and established musician, and Chis was also an actor.</p> <p>             Ironically those who were around Sean when he was growing up would have never thought his path would lead to becoming a famous actor.  Sean was very timid and introverted when he was a child, but it was very clear that he was fascinated by filmmaking.  Penn had possession of a Super 8 camera, and was constantly creating films.   His interest in film simply wasn’t a childhood phase.  After graduating high school Penn sought out to educate himself beyond filmmaking, and landed an apprenticeship at the Group Repertory Theater, and studied with a famous drama instructor, Peggy Feury.  During this time Penn also acquired knowledge of the technical side of stage production.  By the time Penn was twenty he managed to produce his first play “Terrible Jim Fitch” written by Leo Herlihy, who was also the author of “Midnight Cowboy”.   Shortly after this Penn decided his best bet in perfecting his craft would be to spend some time working as an actor in New York.  At this stage in his life he studied method acting.  In no time he was already starring in the Broadway play “Heartland”.  In 1981 his Broadway performance caught the eye of a casting director, and thus began his jump from the stage to motion pictures.  Penn was cast as alongside Timothy Hutton as a military cadet in the movie “Taps”, and received rave reviews for his performance.</p> <p>             After Penn finished up his role in “Taps” a much more self-assured Penn moved back to Los Angeles.  He had no idea his career was about to explode.  Penn was chosen to play the part of the notorious stoned surfer in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” in 1982.   Even though this character was not the starring role, his performance was loved by many.  At this point in Penn’s career it was evident he could pull of comedy very well, but chose to move forward in playing more dramatic and complex roles such as criminal, a shady lawyer, a musician, an inmate on death row, a political gay activist, and even a mentally challenged man.  Penn was almost always highly praised for his amazing performances, and many thought that he was passed over too many times by the academy because as mentioned previously he is not considered your conventional Hollywood actor, and does not adhere to the typical Hollywood rules.  Penn finally won an Oscar for “Mystic River” in 2003 playing a man that was broken and consumed by his daughter’s death.  He also achieved another academy award for his portrayal of political activist Harvey Milk in the motion picture “Milk” in the year of 2008. </p> <p>             A very successful acting career is only a slice of the pie that makes up all of Sean Penn’s talents.  Penn has written and directed movies such as “The Indian Runner” which was about two brothers on the opposite sides of the law, and “The Crossing Guard” which starred Jack Nicholson.  Again, these projects did not disappoint viewers or critics.  Penn’s writing even evolved into journalistic aspect, and he visited Iraq in 2005, and voiced the events he witnessed for <em>The Chronicle, </em>and was asked to be a guest speaker on the “Out of Iraq Forum” which is put on by the Progressive Democrats of America.  Penn also became very involved with the horrid events of Hurricane Katrina, and an advocate for expressing and reporting his concerns for the victims affected. </p> <p>             Penn has many individuals in his life that have been influential for some of his many career milestones.  Penn “credits Malcolm McDowell as the best actor with whom he’s worked”, and has stated that he “became an actor because of Robert De Niro”.  Penn also quoted that Daniel Day Lewis “may very well be the greatest actor ever recorded to the screen”, and that Clint Eastwood is “one of the few legends who isn’t a disappointment”. </p> <p>             Penn once mentioned “I’ve always operated under the notion that audiences don’t always know when they’re being lied to, but that they always know when they’re being told the truth.  If there are what I think are unsung truths to be talked about in a film, through a character, through a story, and that dominates the piece, that’s the key for me.  I think the biggest thing is to not participate in the damaging, lying cinema”.  This quote I feel is such a key to Penn’s success in all aspects of his career as an actor, director, writer, producer, journalist, and political activist.  Penn has never tried to be anything he is not as a person as far as Hollywood goes, and even received a lot of heat for it.  After over thirty years in the business Penn is still continually sought after as an actor, and we as an audience can always be guaranteed that Penn will find the “truth” in every character he plays.</p> <p>  </p> <p align="center"> References</p> <p align="center">  </p> <p> AEC One Stop Group, Inc. (2011).  <em>AEC One Stop Group, Inc   </em></p> <p>             <em>Sean penn</em>.  Retrieved November 17, 2011,</p> <p>             from <a href="http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800019044/bio">http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800019044/bio</a></p> <p>  </p> <p> IMBd.  <em>IMBd.</em></p> <p>             <em>Biography for Sean Penn.  </em>Retrieved November 17, 2011,</p> <p>             from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000576/bio">http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000576/bio</a></p> <p>  </p> <p> Rebecca Leung.  (2007, December 5).  <em>Rebecca Leung</em></p> <p>             <em>Sean Penn:  just the Beginning.</em>  Retrieved November 17, 2011</p> <p>             from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/12/01/60II/main586211.shtml</p>