As one of Hollywood’s critically acclaimed stars, Sean Penn’s revelation of the “magical big movie moment of his life” deserves fans’ attention.
In his speech, the actor, guest of honor at the Lyon Lumière Festival, describes this moment as when he saw the successful film of his friend Jack Nicholson, One of them flew over a cuckoo’s nest.
“I heard my name a lot tonight,” he shares while appearing emotional. “But I was very comfortable with it in the sense that knowing that Cuckoo’s Nest was going to be playing, there was no doubt that I was going to be able to find great humility in the circumstances.”
“One of the great magical moments of my life at the cinema was the first time I saw Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Miloš Forman,” continues the 65-year-old.
The Oscar winner calls himself “privileged” as he shares having worked not just once but twice with Jack. “I was very privileged in that I got to work with Jack twice.”
He continues: “With ‘The Pledge’ and ‘Crossing Guard,’ he was an angel on my shoulder and I still can’t get over it, I still can’t imagine that McMurphy [Nicholson’s character in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”] worked with me.”
Sean, speaking in front of a crowd of 5,000, spoke more about the film: “There was a little movie theater on the beach in Los Angeles that I used to go to.”
“At the time, in the late ’70s, it seemed like every movie that came out was some kind of event. But even today, I wouldn’t hesitate to share this movie with a 16 or 17 year old because it would hold up, even with those who get bored very quickly,” jokes the star.
Meanwhile, the Lumière Film Festival, where Sean gave a moving speech, will end on October 19.
