Sean Penn has spoken about the killing of Charlie Kirk, claiming he is “not surprised” that such an event would happen in this political climate.
The right-wing activist was shot in the neck and killed while speaking on stage at a university event in Utah on September 10. The death has prompted numerous media controversies, with TV show South Park and talk show host Jimmy Kimmel coming under fire for their views on the conservative figure.
Oscar winner Penn is known for his outspoken political views, and is currently promoting new film One Battle After Another, where he plays an ultra-right wing white supremacist who is the antagonist in the film.
In a new interview with Vanity Fair, the actor spoke about the murder, which had just occurred at the time of the discussion.
“I was not surprised at all,” he remarked. “Like a lot of people, I’ve been worrying that this kind of horror was moving towards coming into fashion.” When asked about the repercussions may be, he replied: “It’s disturbing enough that I would say I’m still processing it, and what its implications are.”
In May, the star criticised current US President Donald Trump on Louis Theroux’s podcast, saying: “What he values is so base. I won’t equate that with intelligence. It’s truly void of soul. And really, it actively engages in cruelty often.”
He would go on to describe Trump as: “The tough guy who never was. He was his father’s punk from Queens for a long time. You know, the tall Q-tip guy in school. He got into business. He got around a lot of real tough guys. Gangsters”.
Recently, Sean Penn also looked back on the moment Madonna called him “the love of her life.” The couple were married from 1985 to 1989, working together on the 1986 film Shanghai Surprise.