Sean Penn Is Making Fun Of Himself In New Project
Sean Penn will star as a fictional version himself in the upcoming Australian series C*A*U*G*H*T.
Sean Penn is set to play a fictionalized version of himself. According to Variety, the actor will star in the satirical Australian series C*A*U*G*H*T, described as a six-part series centering on four Australian soldiers sent on a secret mission. They are eventually captured by freedom fighters and produce a hostage video that goes viral.
The series will be written, directed, and produced by Australian filmmaker and actor Kick Gurry, who starred alongside Tom Cruise in the 2014 sci-fi film Edge of Tomorrow. Sean Penn will serve as executive producer of the series alongside producers John and Michael Schwarz. The duo worked on projects such as the 2019 war film Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan and Gold.
Sean Penn was in the news lately for making a documentary about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Penn has appeared at press briefings, documenting government officials speaking about the ongoing conflict. It wasn’t the first time Penn was on the front lines of a conflict or disaster while making a documentary, having worked on projects such as Citizen Penn.
The documentary centered on the actor’s contributions to those affected by the Haiti earthquakes in 2010. Sean Penn organized a non-profit dedicated to helping victims of the natural disaster. The non-profit, called Community Organized Relief Effort or CORE is still active and contributing to many efforts.
One of the non-profit’s most recent efforts included distributing tests and vaccines to people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sean Penn has been somewhat of the center of controversy during the pandemic, having refused to work on a project with unvaccinated crew members. He told Variety that he refused to work on the series Gaslit until everyone working on the project was vaccinated.
Sean Penn’s demand reportedly put NBCUniversal in a problematic situation at the time. After two months, the actor returned on set and continued work on the Starz limited series. Penn played opposite Julian Roberts and portrayed Nixon’s Attorney General John Mitchell.
Despite having strong political and social opinions, Sean Penn has garnered respect from his peers in Hollywood. In 2021, fans celebrated the 20th anniversary of his drama film I Am Sam, a project the director has since come out and said he “wouldn’t make today” without casting a disabled actor. The film starred Penn as a father with an intellectual disability.
Who knows how the new project involving Sean Penn will hit general audiences. Penn recently was banned from Ukraine along with actor Ben Stiller. The decision to ban Penn might make a lot of people interested to see whether Penn subtly addresses the issues between Ukraine and Russia in the series.
However, some may have already condemned Sean Penn for his past comments and actions. Let’s not forget that before the 2022 Academy Awards, Penn threatened to melt his Oscar in public if Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky was not invited. Although Penn is highly respected in the industry, his actions of late could’ve led some to refuse to watch anything he’s in.
We’ll have to wait and see how the ratings of Sean Penn’s new series turn out.
