Sean Penn Looks Completely Unrecognizable In Gaslit Trailer

Gaslit, which is set to take on the Watergate scandal, has posted its first trailer. Within the trailer is Sean Penn looking completely unrecognizable.

By James Brizuela | Published

sean penn

Gaslit is a limited series that is set to premiere on Starz. The series follows the events of the legendary Watergate scandal, which rocked the United States and led to Richard Nixon resigning his presidency. The series boasts a star-studded cast that includes Sean Penn, Julia Roberts, Patton Oswalt, Dan Stevens, and Nat Faxon. The first trailer for the series has been released, showing Penn look completely unrecognizable as Nixon’s closest advisor, John Mitchell. You can see his wild transformation below:

The opening of the trailer showcases some of the cast while they are in their wardrobes for their performances. Sean Penn was made to look older, larger, and greyer. Quite honestly, it barely looks like him. He laughs and the double chin effect is certainly a sight to behold. The series focuses on John Mitchell’s wife, Martha Mitchell, who is played by Julia Roberts. Martha was thrust into the public eye during the time of the Watergate scandal. Her husband, John, was the closest advisor for President Nixon during this time, but it was Martha who seemed to be leaking details about the controversy behind Watergate. History aficionados will know this as the time Nixon hired some lackeys to break into the Democratic National Committee building.

The series promise to highlight some of the forgotten characters from that era and is said to be the unbelievable true story of one of the biggest scandals in American history. Having Sean Penn and Julia Roberts in the same film is sure to make the case that Gaslit will be wonderful throughout. The trailer certainly shows the harrowing life that Martha had to deal with in exposing the truth to the press. There is even a moment in which is she attacked and drugged in a hotel room. If this event was at the behest of her husband, things will get even more interesting. Martha is said to be one of the first whistleblowers that named Nixon as being involved in the break-in. Due to her outing the president, a wave of consequences hit the Mitchells, with John having to choose his wife or Nixon. There is even a moment in which John slaps Martha, and she replies with, “my momma slaps me harder than that.” Penn is certainly one of the best method actors in Hollywood, and that is certainly the case for the anger he portrays in the trailer while looking exactly like John Mitchell.

Gaslit is set to premiere on April 24th on Starz, and the series will be eight episodes long. On top of Sean Penn playing John Mitchell and Julia Roberts playing Martha, the additional cast is Dan Stevens as John Dean, Betty Gilpin as Mo Dean, Shea Whigham as G. Gordon Liddy, and Darby Camp as Marty Mitchell. While the tone for the series might be serious in nature, there are hints of dark comedy mixed in. The trailer sort of brings out the same level of humor that exits in Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up. However, the Watergate scandal was certainly very real. This looks to be the type of show that everyone should watch.