Oral biographies about people still in the prime of their life I think need to be taken with a grain of salt - they're still powerful so of course people are going to say nice things. Oh, I know that Sean Penn has obviously inspired a great deal of respect and loyalty over the years (the credits on his films indicates that), but one can't helping wishing at times this book weren't a bit more critical. It does indicate Sean was a sulky prat during his 80s Madonna heyday (for an account of a hostile view read the book on Handmade Films) but generally its praise, praise, praise.
Having said that, I think Penn's career deserves a book. He proves that if you have talent and taste and work hard, you don't need hits to survive as an in-demand actor - indeed, Penn has retained his street cred (yet to sell out yet) - if he did he would enjoy a massive pay cheque. Penn was born into a Hollywood family - yet he found he had to move to New York to get his career going (he couldn't get arrested as they say in LA despite his dad being a top TV director, but once he moved to New York he scored a juicy role in a showy play which got him Taps).
He became one of the leaders of the Brat Pack, becoming immortal with Fast Times at Ridgemount High (Penn talked about this in a retrospective doco on the film which gives him a lot of points in my book); he then starred in a series of films which all seemed to flop but which earned him good reviews. Marriage to Madonna kicked him up into the fame stratosphere, as did his tendency to beat up photographers.
His temper, habit of fighting with directors and poor box office standing almost got him blacklisted, but he had his fans such as Mike Medavoy at Orion (who put him in Colours, a big hit). Penn divorced Madonna and had a high profile relationship with Robin Wright. He quit acting to direct, but returned to acting and is enjoying a high profile run - although something like The Interpreter shows why he'll never be a big star: when he shows pain he shows real pain, not Hollywood film star light pain. It also shows why he'll always have a career: so many people want to work with him and he's really talented. Penn is a wanker - but a sincere, talented wanker.
There is probably a bit too much in this book from actors about acting - actors tend to flatter their colleagues in interviews. While it is interesting to hear how Penn attacks a role, we hear a bit too much of it. And did we need to hear so much from Bono? Would have liked to have heard what he thought about being in Team America.
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