(NewsNation) — Actor and director Sean Penn joked he could “get away” with his racy dialogue in the film “Daddio,” because it was written and directed by a woman.
“I found it a very refreshing piece,” Penn said while discussing the film on “CUOMO.” “I think just about human connection, and that’s addressed in terms of the way people lose themselves in their screens.”
In the film, actress Dakota Johnson hops into a yellow taxicab at Kennedy Airport. She’s just going home to Manhattan, 44th Street, between 9th and 10th avenues. And her cab driver (Penn) decides to strike up a conversation that will last the duration of this nearly 100-minute ride.
The pair, clearly from different generations, different life experiences and different classes, just talk about everything — life, mistakes, technology, human nature, what makes a New Yorker, absentee fathers, affairs, human nature and love. “Daddio” was written and directed by Christy Hall, a playwright.
Sean Penn: I could never play Harvey Milk today
Sean Penn also told Cuomo that as a straight man, he wouldn’t be an “acceptable” actor to play Harvey Milk in today’s age, which he thinks is “disappointing.” It’s a role in which Penn won an Oscar for best actor in 2009.
The 2008 movie “Milk” tells the story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected public official in California.
During a New York Times interview, columnist Maureen Dowd also broached the subject with Penn. He revealed in the interview that he was “miserable” on sets for 15 years after making the movie: “‘Milk’ was the last time I had a good time,” he said.
At the time, Penn was praised for his work in the role but now there is sometimes an outcry when straight actors are cast as gay characters, Dowd states in the article.
Sean Penn: War has become normalized
Penn has visited Ukraine several times to chronicle the war after Russia invaded the country. He produced a documentary about the war and has said it was “palpably heartbreaking” to see the devastation.
“Not only war has become normalized, but hatred and divisiveness has become normalized,” Penn said on “CUOMO.” “I think about this every day. I feel like I’ve been a participant in that a lot at times. … I’m just recognizing we’ve all got a role in this. Ukraine is the symbol of unity, that selfishly, we should connect, support.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.