Sean Penn for President

Sean Penn has been in a number of policical films as of late including the upcoming Milk where Penn plays an openly gay community activist in the late 70s who strives to be an elected office.

But this week he is being introduced as holding a title of a different kind, yet still a President. President of the Cannes Jury.

As President of the 61st Cannes Film Festival’s jury, Penn doesn’t plan on making fellow jurists such as Natalie Portman and Alfonso Cuaron watch every movie twice or sit down for screenings at midnight, as some of his predecessors have done. Rather, joked Penn during a press conference yesterday, “the idea is to be wide awake with an empty bladder at the beginning of every film.”

I have always seen Penn as an outstanding actor, and with a dramatic role playing a gay man, could an Oscar be far off? Seems the right formula for success.

But now he is facing a big job, judging his peers. In the past Penn has criticized the ranking of one film over another and is now finding himself in that hot seat. With is standard drypan humour he responded “Because finally somebody with the discernment to choose right is on the jury,”

He seems very down to earth and responded to a lot of the questions with humour where they tried to put him on the spot, and utter seriousness when he is asked how he decided The Third Wave, his choice for this year’s Special Presidential Jury Screening. “It was the closest thing that I had ever seen on film to giving any kind of answer to what’s the purpose of life,”

I seem to like this guy more and more.