Entertainment

Bill Maher: ‘Hollywood is a bunch of damn cowards’


Sean Penn may be the most notorious free man in Hollywood.

Yes, stars like Amy Schumer, Mark Ruffalo and Natalie Portman sing from the progressive hymn, but Penn has been doing it for decades. He famously opposed the Iraq War, among other leftist causes, but his relationship with Hugo Chavez alone made him a culture fighter for the Left.

However, Penn collaborated with Bill Maher to quell the scourge awakened in the latest episode of “Club Random”. The “Mystic River” actor wasn’t willing to do that, but when urged by Maher, he offered a number of reasons to fear the revolution had awoken.

One reason proved to be personal to Penn. He said his 2009 Oscar night win for “Milk” wouldn’t have happened today.

Why?

Penn is outspoken and only gay actors are allowed to portray LGBTQ icon Harvey Milk today.

For the uninitiated, “Club Random” isn’t as political as Maher’s “Real Time” showcase on HBO. The 67-year-old tries to approach the podcast aisle, finding common ground and staying away from sharp disagreements when possible.

And, for anyone listening to Maher-Penn’s exchange, it’s clear that their off-screen friendship is old and enduring.

RELATED: MAHER LAMENTS LOSSES HOWARD STERN AS A Friend

Penn and Maher enjoyed cultural issues, often agreeing or disagreeing in areas where they differed. That was proven true when Maher pressed Penn about his feelings for Chavez, the late Venezuelan leader.

Penn struggled hard to build his friendship with the late dictator.

The pair found common ground by complaining about how many classic movies can’t be made today thanks to the new wake-up environment. Penn referred to the 1975 classic One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and Maher joked that any remake would likely star Amy Schumer as Jack Nicholson.

(Both praised Schumer afterwards.)

They also featured unawakened comics like Dave Chappelle and Bill Burr, who Penn noted helped him get through the pandemic shutdown.

“It was someone who kept sober to the extent that I could keep my sanity,” says Penn. “I’m not even in a world where I have to agree or disagree. I just need to see authenticity.

“At some point, that movement turned to authoritarianism,” Maher said of Wake’s transition from old-fashioned liberalism to restricting core liberties.

“I have news for people who just woke up… you can’t find that thought when you’re 150 meters away from the Russians… you won’t remember all the pronouns,” says Penn.

RELATED: WHY IS THE INVOICE CANCELLATION OF MAHER FRUITS?

Maher suggests that Penn should have more of a say, more often, when waking up to his charisma in Hollywood.

Maher said if a two-time Oscar winner did, someone from the Left booted up, it could change the culture.

“You go for a walk,” Maher said of Penn, alluding to the actor’s ability to visit hotspots, such as trips to Haiti and Ukraine, over the years. “You are the only one qualified to call the awakened ones. It’s almost a responsibility.”

Penn embarked on a press tour for his recent novel, “Bob Honey Who Just Does Stuff,” and critics have railed against criticism of its #MeToo movement. The actor showed up at a university as part of that tour and told students why one of the highlights of his career might not be possible anymore.

His best actor was honored for “Milk” in 2008.

“If that movie was made today, I wouldn’t be able to play that role,” he said.

The pair talked about the topic of higher learning, a topic that Maher regularly watches on his HBO show.

“Universities are supposed to be places for scholars, free speech and open your mind. Now, it’s about, ‘you can’t say this, how dare you?’” Maher noted.

“Not only that, it was, ‘you can’t teach at this high level, how dare you,’” Penn said, referring to a New York University professor who was fired for make a course too difficult.

The actor then politely declined Maher’s call for him to be more vocal on the issue, suggesting he lacked that cultural buffer to make a difference.

Maher and Penn ended their wide-ranging conversation by defending Woody Allen against allegations that he sexually abused his then-child, Dylan Farrow, when she was just a child. Girls. They detail why Allen may be innocent of the charges and punish the actors who turned Allen down after years of begging for his film role.

“Hollywood is full of cowards,” Maher said before lowering her voice. “I love them. I love the show business… the default setting for anyone in the show business is a complete idiot… especially the actors.”

news7f

News7F: Update the world's latest breaking news online of the day, breaking news, politics, society today, international mainstream news .Updated news 24/7: Entertainment, Sports...at the World everyday world. Hot news, images, video clips that are updated quickly and reliably

Related Articles

Back to top button