Sean Penn talks politics as Cannes president
jack black spills the beans about brad and angelina’s twins
Published:
AMERICAN film star Sean Penn yesterday issued a warning to Barack Obama that he may have to become a greater man than he has ever been or face “dangerous disillusionment”.
Speaking at a press conference as jury president at the 61st Cannes Film Festival, he also condemned the “inane stupidity” of US President George Bush’s politics.
He said: “When somebody operates without a brain and without a heart they kill hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world. It is a shame we have to bastardise the word ‘politics’.”
He was not supporting a particular presidential candidate but was “encouraged and excited” by the support Obama had received.
“I hope that he will understand if he is the nominee the dangerous disillusionment that will happen if he does not become a greater man than he’s ever been.”
The jurors also spoke about one of the films competing at Cannes, 24 City, set in Chengdu, which was near the epicentre of Monday’s devastating earthquake.
A film called The Third Wave, which concerns the work of volunteers in tsunami-ravaged Sri Lanka, has been chosen to be shown as president of the jury’s choice.
Also at Cannes, Julianne Moore said her latest film reflects the “tremendous amount of tragedy” in the world. Blindness – which opened the competition at the film festival – is based on a book by Nobel Prize-winning author Jose Saramango.
It tells the story of humanity in the grip of a mysterious blindness epidemic.
Meanwhile, US star Jack Black let slip at Cannes the fact that Angelina Jolie is indeed expecting twins.
Long rumoured to have two children by Brad Pitt on the way, Jolie confirmed the news during a side-by-side TV interview with Black, her Kung Fu Panda co-star.
The two are in Cannes to promote the animated film.
The twins will be the fifth and sixth children for Jolie and Pitt. She didn’t volunteer the information until Black dropped the hint, joking that the couple will “have as many as the Brady Bunch when you have these”.
“It’s confirmed?” asked interviewer Natalie Morales. “Yeah, yeah, we’ve confirmed that already,” Jolie said. “Well, Jack’s just confirmed it actually.”
