Sean Penn in New Role at Friday Prayers in Tehran

New York Times ^ | June 10, 2005 | REUTERS

[2dogjoe]

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Hollywood actor Sean Penn, adopting the role of a journalist, scribbled in his notebook as Friday prayer worshippers in Tehran chanted ``Death to America.'' Penn, 44, in Iran on a brief assignment for the San Francisco Chronicle ahead of presidential elections on June 17, may be one of the best known faces in film, but he went unrecognized by the 6,000 faithful at Tehran University. Working with a translator, Penn took copious notes as hardline cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati urged the congregation to vote en masse ``to make America angry.'' The actor, who visited Iraq before and after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 and wrote an account of his second trip for the Chronicle, told Reuters he had decided to come to Iran because of growing tensions between Washington and Tehran. The United States accuses Iran of developing nuclear weapons and sponsoring terrorism. Iran denies the charges.

[RushCrush]

In an attempt to be fair, I will say that Sean Penn's acting in "The Interpreter" is exquisite. I hate his politics but he is one hell of an actor. Perhaps he should stick to what he is good at.

[PilloryHillary]

Sean Penn is a brilliant actor. Too bad he is a P.O.S. traitor.

[Luigi Vasellini]

I'm confused who was chanting "death to America", was it Sean Penn or the Iranians or both???

[Tribune7]

Bogus man, that's what they meant by getting stoned?

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Please God, make Sean Penn go away.

[dfwgator]

"Here kitty, kitty."

[Hildy]

How come nobody ever asks these "actors" WHY they think Muslims hate us? Do you think they can take any responsibility for the level of culture they spread around the world, which is a huge contributing force to the hatred? NOPE.

[FairfaxVA]

He is a traitor to this country and all that it stands for. I am tired of these self-absorbed hollywood morons, with their inflated sense of self, jumping on the hate America first bandwagon and super-gluing themselves to every cause that makes fighting the war on terror more difficult. I could care less what he or any of his self-important fellow actors have to say. I hope he stays in Iran. Or maybe he can move to Europe with fellow idiot Johnny Depp. He and his ilk are doing this country immeasurable damage.

[Finalapproach29er]

Penn's daddy Leo was a pinko extremist, I believe.

Apple, lands not far from the tree.

[cousair]

Here Here!! I couldn't agree with you more. The fact they use their screen image for political talk makes me wild. The best actors on screen keep their home lives and plitical ideas to themselves. I will never go to Penn's films or listen to anything he has to say. You nailed his action to the post! Well done.

[jos65]

YOU HAVE NAILED 90% OF THE PROBLEM.
Your question howevedr,will never be answered, for you see, MONEY TALKS. Their bottom line is PROFIT,PROFIT,PROFIT.

[joesnuffy]

Apple, lands not far from the tree.

Or, in Penn's case, not far from the horses rear.

[KC_Conspirator]

Sean Penn is a brilliant actor. Too bad he is a P.O.S. traitor.

I totally agree. Fantastic actor, but a piece of hate America filth.

[veronica]

Muslims hate us because of our "level of culture?" I beg to differ. It is because we have a culture of democracy, which allows not only good, but sometimes bad art as well, to be put into the marketplace, that they hate us. That and their cultish "religion", which at it's root is death-worshipping, while ours is life-embracing.

Do we want to live in a culture where art is defined by a handful of extremist nutters, as it is in Iran, Saudi Arabia, etc?

No thanks. I'll take an open society, where the occasional "bad culture" is an unfortunate result.

[veronica]

And speaking of that, do you watch Desperate Housewives? What a great show. My weekly must-see - at least until The Sopranos comes back.

[Hildy]

I wanted to see it from the beginning. There are so many shows now I watch weekly, it's almost becoming too much! These are the best shows, I believe: THE SHIELD, NIP/TUCK (YOU WOULD LOVE THIS SHOW!), DEADWOOD and on regular TV, HOUSE. I do want to see Desperate Housewives...all the hooplah! My gosh!

[Hildy]

I don't think you understood what I was saying. I was saying that ONE of the reasons they hate us is they don't agree with the openness of our culture. Do you disagree with that?

[BayouCoyote]

Right on!