Dan already posted Dustin Lance Black’s lovely acceptance speech (which was indeed heavy on the God, but that was totally the point) and here’s the other great gay-rights-acknowledging speech of the night.
From encouraging Prop 8 supporters to “anticipate their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren’s eyes…” to praising Obama’s “elegance,” Penn’s was my favorite speech—and favorite win—of the night.
Penn’s acting career has got to be the most unusual in hollywood. I can’t believe he used to be Jeff Spicoli
He answered questions on gay rights (or “marriage” rights actually) at the presser backstage, broadcast on E. Said he knew Obama oughta prioritize helping people not die so much in the nasty ways they did under Bush, but once that was in hand he’d be glad to advise how Obama could get marriage equality taken care of. He remains my favorite heavy smoker who’s had sex with Madonna.
Learning about Cuba, and having some food.
I wish he’d remembered to thank his wife, though.
I was WAITING for him to thank his wife, I can not believe he did NOT thank her!! WTF?!
I hear you, and I think Sean Penn is a hell of an actor. But no matter how progressive and admirable the role was, I could never root for Penn’s Milk over Mickey’s Ram.
Rourke wuz robbed.
I never saw Penn as Spicoli until last year. I’d only seen him in Dead Man Walking for a long time. He was awesome in Milk and really transformed into a new character.
I was happy Rourke got nominated, but he really didn’t act very differently than himself. Thought he did a good job, though.
It appeared to me that he doesn’t like his wife at all. She literally grabbed him by the face before he could ignore her and walk onstage, and then he very pointedly didn’t mention her. I don’t think he “forgot” at all. Bastard.
While I appreciated the pro-equality content. I thought it was odd that he thanked neither his wife, nor his co-stars.
You people cannot be pleased.
Yeah, once a bastard always a bastard.
Look to see Penn featured in Dan’s “Every Child Deserves…” before too long.
Sorry Sean, I’m pretty sure I’ll be bragging to my grandkids about how we stuck it to the whining Left on Prop 8. Can’t wait for round three.
@9: I think he realized that the moment of his win, to put a spotlight on Harvey Milk was more important than the whole “everyone I work with is great” spiel that everyone does. You can tell he really felt the role and how important it is.
Also, maybe he didn’t want to thank his wife because all the gay people rooting for him can’t get married and it would be like “I’d like to thank my wife, while my gay co-stars can’t get married…” I dunno. I think he just really saw how important it was to go on a soapbox about equality. And rightly so.
What’s with all the angry housewives in this comment thread? Maybe he didn’t thank his wife because, while he loves her and enjoys her company, she had nothing to do with his winning the award. She can do her own work and win her own awards.
I woulda thanked Buttercup straight away. I thought that was where he was going with the “my best friend” line.
Another feel good moment from last night:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/0…
But like the ‘ladies who lunch’ somebody will take “another chance to disapprove”:
i think robin knows he’s thankful – the look on her face was so amazing. i, too, think it was classy not thank his wife when he’s talking about Prop 8 and hatred, etc.
his speech kicked ass! i am totally a commie homo loving freak (or was it bastard) and love that he won – MILK made me cry and totally inspired me with it’s message – you just have to BE YOURSELF and you can change the world.
i also thought the Penns were divorced but apparently i missed that they unfiled their divorce papers last year.
@4
…yeah he didn’t really seem to be into her. She had to yank him back for a kiss on the way up to the stage. Maybe there’s something we don’t know.
18
dude, Penn is totally gay.
it’s why Madonna kicked him out.
@ 12 – I dunno, bud, the right’s doing some pretty high-intensity whining right now…
@ 19 – no way, dude, I’m sure he got some hetero action last night, after all the parties…
This speech almost beats my favorite Sean Penn quote (re: Madonna) “Well, it was sort of like throwing a hot-dog down a hallway.”
Almost.
A shameful display of arrogance by Sean Penn, criticizing the people who make possible his crummy career by going to see his movies.
Something tells me that from here foward his movies will be huge box office flops. He thinks he’s Marie Antoinette.
I think people bring up the not thanking his wife thing because when women forget to thank the hubby (Hilary Swark), it’s practically the first thing mentioned in the stories the next day.
Ha! Swark = Swank.
I think it is just lame for celebrities to go on political rants when accepting awards. Penn just offended 52% of the population of CA. The MAJORITY, need we say?
How much money has MILK made?
26: Doing the right thing sometimes makes people not like you. Grown-ups do it anyway.
28
Being an asshole also sometimes makes people not like you. Assholes do it anyway.
That was an acceptance speech?? Come on, more like another self consumed Prima Dona rattling off his political and social bias. Equal rights, please, what’s next Bi-sexuals wanting to marry a man and a woman?
And bestiality proponents wanting to marry their pet ferret. Ridiculous you say?…not anymore ridiculous than using an exit as an entrance.
For every idiot bigot who equates homosexuality to beastiality: I would donate to a film of you ignorant fools being raped by an angry hung Chimp and then ripped apart by his sharp teeth and hands. Homosexuals don’p fuck ferrel animals. We fuck like ferrel animals.
And for you straight dicks eeking out a blame game into 3 in a marriage excuse for saying yes on 8, all you’re doing is letting your inability to tell us you really do think sex is all about you slip out from your fantasy hand, no, not land.
Clairifications:
2 consenting adults.
If you want to question the “clairity” of this statement regarding what species we are referring to, get a gun and shoot yourself. Because you just made yourself look like a total bigot idiot who just wants to discriminate, from stupidity, so your true insecurities don’t appear, to you only, as though everybody with intellectual capabilities just saw you as such: a morbidly obiese white trash 6 year old with a fat drunk set of parents with no education
Here’s some more sodium laced fried fat chunky tid bits for you homophobes to chew on:
No str8 marriages have somehow dissolved in Canada or Spain because of divine intervention. Nor have reported incidences of rape, incestual pregnancies, or christian divorce rates increased.
Why can’t your homophobes just admit that your sense of being seen as the king of the hill, master of the universe, or whatever the hell you like to refer to your “maleness” as, is totally threatened by homosexuals and women who are smarter than you? Or is it that if you accept us you will then have to turn in upon yourselves and take a hard long look and reply with, “Wow, you really are a racist, homophobic and misogynistic bigot who is sooooooooooooo insecure!” And don’t think every homosexual in America hasn’t had to face that exact same fear right in front of our eyes every day of our lives.
Here is a funny take on Sean Penn’s speech, http://beema.wordpress.com/2009/02/26/be….
Penn is a fantastic actor. But this speech made me puke. And I’m not homophobic in the least. I just don’t need some spoiled, misinformed super wealthy human being looking down his nose at me or anybody else — especially when I don’t even reside in California — and tell me or anybody else how to live our lives. Apparently if we don’t agree with Mr. Penn’s point of view, we oughta be ashamed of ourselves.
Funny how he talks about Obama being an elegant man. Fair enough, pal. But you know what’s ironic? Apparently this “elegant president” of ours should be ashamed of himself… because he has openly stated he is AGAINST gay marraige. Go figure. And don’t even get me started on that pig Chavez. If Chavez had his way he’d burn homosexuals at the stake.
So Penn, while he might have good intentions, comes across like a complete tool. Besides, Mickey Rourke got HOSED. He deserved the damn Oscar. Anyone who says he was simply playing himself is waaay of base. Never has an actor mined their own gutwrenching heartache and shame and plastered it across the screen in such a subtle way… his performance was nothing short of astonishing… no major Oscar-baiting scene such as Penn’s Mystic River moment screaming “Is that my Oscar in there?!?” whoops sorry I mean “Is that my daughter in there?!?” Rourke put on a goddamn clinic… and he got hosed ’cause Hollywood, as usual, wanted to make a political statement. Such a shame.
Beterosexual ignorant bigots uneducated buybull sheep liars to children mismgynist homophobic brainwashing mind raper adults who believe in magical sky gods. and that’s the short list. since you clearly forgot, the CURRENT YEAR IS 2009, and NOT 109 a.d.