♪♪ ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY! WELCOME BACK!
WELCOME BACK, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!
FOLKS, I'M EXCITED BECAUSE MY FIRST GUEST IS A TWO-TIME
ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING ACTOR, DIRECTOR, AND AUTHOR YOU KNOW
FROM "DEAD MAN WALKING," "MYSTIC RIVER," AND "MILK."
HIS NEW FILM IS "FLAG DAY."
>> DAD, WHAT DO YOU DO.
UET -- WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHAT DO DO?
>> FOR A LIVING?
I'M AN ENTREPRENEUR.
MY SKILL IS OPPORTUNITIES.
>> LIKE WHAT?
FOR INSTANCE, RIGHT NOW I GOT A WHOLE RAFT OF BUSINESSES.
I'M WORKING A VERY BROAD PORTFOLIO.
WHEN YOU WORK IT THAT WAY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO PIN IT ON ONE
BUSINESS TO BE YOUR BREAD AND BUTTER.
YIELD GOES DOWN ON ONE, POPS UP ON THE OTHER, AND THE GOOD NEWS
IS THAT I'M DOING REALLY GREAT WITH THAT.
>> Stephen: PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW" SEAN
PENN!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: MAKE YOURSELF AT
HOME.
NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> GOOD TO SEE YOU, TOO.
>> Stephen: YOU DONT'S DO A LOT OF TALK SHOWS.
>> NO.
>> Stephen: NO.
ALWAYS GLAD WHEN YOU CAN SHOW UP.
>> ALWAYS GLAD TO BE HERE FOR YOURS.
>> Stephen: ALWAYS INTERESTING TO TALK TO YOU.
IT'S NEVER A CONVERSATION I'M GOING TO EXPECT.
>> MMM...
LET'S SEE HOW THAT GOES TONIGHT.
>> Stephen: LET'S ROLL THE BONES.
YOU'VE ACTUALLY MADE SOME HEADLINES RECENTLY.
I'VE GOT ONE RIGHT HERE REGARDING -- WELL, COVID,
REALLY.
HERE'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
SEAN PENN, LYING IN SAND, BOND RETURN TO WATERGATE SERIES GAS
LIT UNLESS ALL CAST AND CREW GET MANDATORY COVID VACCINATIONS.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) WE'RE VACCINATED, YOU'RE VACS
MADE.
SO THIS IS A BIG THING.
THIS IS A BIG THING THAT BASICALLY ALL INDUSTRIES ARE
DEALING WITH BUT ESPECIALLY SHOWBIZ BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE
COME TOGETHER FOR SHORT PERIODS OF TIME FROM DIFFERENT
LOCATIONS.
HOW DID THAT GO OVER?
>> I THINK AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE DIFFICULTY IS WITH
COWARDLY UNION LEADERSHIP IN MANY CASES, BECAUSE THE
BUSINESSES THEMSELVES, I THINK MOST PEOPLE LIKE YOUR AUDIENCE
ARE RATIONAL.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: WHAT'S THE
RATIONALE FOR WHAT IS -- I WANT TO POINT OUT TO THE UNIONS HE
SAID COWARDLY, NOT ME.
( LAUGHTER ) I WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S THE
RATIONALE TO BE GIVEN TO NOT GET IT FROM THE PEOPLE.
>> BECAUSE THERE'S A FRINGE WITHIN EACH OF THESE
CONSTITUENCIES WITHIN THE UNIONS THAT THEY ARE, I BELIEVE,
LEADERSHIP IS AFRAID OF, AND IT'S THE SAME PARALLEL FRINGE TO
THE FRINGE THAT WE SEE THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY AND THE
WAY THAT IT'S BEEN -- YOU KNOW, ONCE THE GENIE OF IRRATIONALITY
GOT OUT OF THE BOTTLE FROM THE LEADERSHIP AT THE BEGINNING OF
THIS, IT'S BECOME EMBEDDED POLITICKING RADICALISM THAT
DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THE COUNTRY'S INDEPENDENCE IS BECAUSE OF ITS
INTERDEPENDENCE.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: SO HOW'S IT GOING?
ARE YOU GOING BACK TO THE SET?
>> WELL, IT SEEMS TO BE -- SO WHAT GOOD THING DID HAPPEN IS
THAT, IMMEDIATELY AFTER I LEFT -- AND I SHOULD SAY I HAD A
LOT OF SUPPORT FROM MY COE AC -- CO-ACTORS AND PRODUCERS ON THIS.
THE NEXT DAY, 14 PEOPLE GOT VOLUNTARILY VACCINATED.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) THE BAD NEWS IS THAT, ON A CREW
OF 100 OR SOMETHING, THAT MEANS THERE ARE MORE THAN 14 PEOPLE
WHO HAD CHOSEN NOT TO BECAUSE IT'S NOT ENTIRELY VACCINATED
YET.
THE WAY THEY DID IT, OF COURSE, WAS THE ONLY KIND OF REAL
PROTECTION WAS AROUND THE ZONE OF PEOPLE THAT WOULD BE COMING
IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH ACTORS WHICH IS ITS OWN KIND OF ELITIST
CHARGE.
>> THEY CALL IT ZONE A.
ZONE A.
SO MY UNDERSTANDING IS THEY'VE NEGOTIATED SOMETHING WHERE
THE -- THOSE UNION MEMBERS WHO HAVE REFUSED TO GET VACCINATED,
WHO DO GET TESTED, WILL REMAIN UNTIL THEY HAVE SHOT OUT
EVERYTHING THEY CAN SHOOT OUT WITHOUT ME, AND THEN AT THE END
THEY WILL REPLACE ANYONE WHO'S NOT VACCINATED WITH PEOPLE WHO
ARE VACCINATED.
>> Stephen: YOUR ORGANIZATION CORE OFFERED VACCINATIONS IN
LOS ANGELES.
IT'S THE COMMUNITY ORGANIZED RELIEF EFFORT.
>> CORRECT.
>> Stephen: YOU WERE GIVING OUT VACCINATIONS IN THE
LOS ANGELES AREA?
>> YEAH, WE WERE RUNNING ALONG WITH L.A. FIRE DEPARTMENT,
DODGER STADIUM AND ALL THE SIGNIFICANT LOS ANGELES CITY
SITES.
THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, WE WERE STARTING WITH THE TESTING AND
THEN ENTER FACTION, AND WE CONTINUED TO.
THERE ARE LESS OF THE BIG SUPERSITES AND MUCH MORE OF THE
MOBILE OUTREACH TRYING TO GET INTO, IN PARTICULAR, THE MORE
MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES BUT NOW TRYING TO TARGET AREAS THAT SEEM
MORE INVESTED IN MISINFORMATION.
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: I THINK I
UNDERSTAND THAT CORE WAS SOMETHING THAT YOU HELPED CREATE
IN 2010, AFTER THE HAITI EARTHQUAKE THAT YEAR.
>> CORRECT.
>> Stephen: BECAUSE YOU WENT DOWN THERE TO HELP AND CREATED
THIS.
OBVIOUSLY, THERE WAS ANOTHER EARTHQUAKE DOWN THERE.
IS CORE BACK DOWN THERE?
>> Y EP.
>> Stephen: DO YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON?
>> CORE NEVER LEFT.
WE'VE GOT 100 FULL-TIME HAITIAN STAFF DOWN THERE AND THEY
DEPLOYED THAT DAY, WITH MEDICAL AND HEAVY EQUIPMENT SUPPORTING
THE SEARCH AND RESCUE AND RUBBLE REMOVAL.
>> Stephen: WELL, A LOT OF PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY IN OUR
BUSINESS, SPEAK A GOOD GAME ABOUT CARING FOR THOSE WHO NEED
HELP.
I LIKE THAT YOU'VE, YOU KNOW, PUT YOUR TIME WHERE YOUR MOUTH
IS HERE, AND YOUR EFFORT.
I'M CURIOUS WHAT AVERAGE PEOPLE CAN DO TO HELP.
WHAT CAN THEY DO TO HELP YOU?
>> TO DO WHAT WE'RE DOING, THEY HAVE THE EQUIPMENT, THE MEDICAL
HYGIENE KIT DISTRIBUTION, ALL OF THAT IS MADE MORE AGGRESSIVE BY
FUNDING AND IT COMES DOWN TO DOLLARS.
SO YOU MAKE -- WE ARE ABLE TO GET A LOT MORE DOLLARS BY A LOT
OF PEOPLE GIVING A LITTLE MONEY, $5, $10, $15, WHATEVER IT IS.
>> Stephen: WHAT'S THE NAME OF THE WEB SITE.
>> CORERESPONSE.org WOULD BE GREAT.
>> Stephen: THERE YOU GO.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) YOU INVEST YOURSELF IN THE NEEDS
OF THESE PEOPLE.
HOW DO YOU YOURSELF, ESPECIALLY LOOKING AT THE WORLD TODAY,
FIGHT OFF DESPONDENCY YOURSELF?
>> VODKA TONIC.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: THAT'S ALSO THE
RECIPE.
( APPLAUSE ) LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR MOVIE
"FLAG DAY," WHICH IS A MOVIE THAT YOU DIRECT AND STAR IN, AND
IT'S THE FIRST TIME YOU'VE DIRECTED YOURSELF, CORRECT?
>> MM-HMM.
>> Stephen: NOW, I HEAR THAT ACTOR SEAN PENN CAN BE A BIT OF
A HANDFUL.
DO YOU ENJOY WORKING WITH HIM?
( LAUGHTER ) >> BRPRICK COMMUNIST.
>> Stephen: WOW, SURE.
HE'LL JUST WALK OFF THE SET IF EVERYONE ISN'T VACCINATED.
WHAT A JERK.
( LAUGHTER ) BUT IT'S ALSO -- IT'S ALSO
YOU'RE DIRECTING YOUR DAUGHTER IN THIS AS WELL AND YOUR SON
ALSO HAS A PART.
YOUR DAUGHTER DYLAN IS THE STAR OF THE MOVIE.
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO DIRECT HER?
DOES IT ALL GO VERY SMOOTHLY?
>> NOT ALL THE TIME.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: KEEP IN MIND,
WHATEVER YOU ANSWER, I'M GOING TO ASK HER IF YOU TOLD THE TRUTH
WHEN SHE COMES OUT HERE IN A MOMENT.
( LAUGHTER ) >> THE THING ABOUT MY DAUGHTER
IS SHE WAS ALWAYS A TRUTH MACHINE.
>> Stephen: OF COURSE, SHE'S A DAUGHTER.
THAT'S WHAT DAUGHTERS ARE.
( LAUGHTER ) >> YEAH, THEY KEEP PEELING YOUR
ONION, YOU KNOW.
>> Stephen: YES, THEY KNOW BULL ( BLEEP ) WHEN THEY HEAR
IT.
>> YEAH, THAT'S TRUE.
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: SO, YOU KNOW, SHE
HAS TO GO THROUGH SOME PRETTY EMOTIONALLY WROUGHT SCENES HERE.
DOES DAD, SEAN PENN, CAN HE LET DIRECTOR SEAN PENN LET THE SCENE
GOES ON WHEN HE SEES DAUGHTER DYLAN CRYING OR ARE YOU
ATTEMPTED TO STOP THE SCENE AND COMFORT HER?
>> THERE WERE TIMES THAT I THOUGHT TO CALL CH CHILD PROTECT
SERVICES ON MYSELF.
( LAUGHTER ) IT WAS.
THERE WERE SOMETIMES -- BECAUSE YOU'RE ASKING -- YOU KNOW, AS
YOU DO WITH ACTORS -- PEOPLE TO GO TO DIFFICULT AND PAINFUL
PLACES SOMETIMES AND TO SEE HER GOING THROUGH IT AND TO SAY, GO
DEEPER, GO -- IT WAS -- YEAH, IT WAS DEVASTATING SOMETIMES, BUT
SHE WANTED TO GO THERE, AND IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL IN THOSE SCENES
AND THE LIGHTER TO SEE THE MAGIC OF HER TALENT AND THE KIND OF
POETRY OF HER EMOTIONAL LIFE COME FORWARD THROUGH THOSE
THINGS, AND IT WAS ALSO THRILLING.
>> Stephen: THIS PREMIERED.
YES.
>> Stephen: SHE GOT GREAT NOTICES.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: WOULD YOU WANT TO WORK WITH SEAN PENN AGAIN?
( LAUGHTER ) WOULD YOU WANT TO DIRECT YOU
AGAIN, I GUESS?
>> YES, I WOULD NOT.
( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: IT'S A FAMILY BUSINESS FOR YOU.
FOR THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW, YOUR FARTHER LEO WAS AN ACTOR
AND DIRECTOR AND YOUR MOTHER EILEEN RYAN IS AN ACTRESS.
AS A FATHER LOOKING AT YOUR CHILDREN GOING INTO THE
BUSINESS, I'M JUST CURIOUS WHAT YOUR PARENTS THOUGHT ABOUT YOU
GOING INTO THE BUSINESS?
WERE THEY WORRIED, ENCOURAGE IT?
WERE THEY, LIKE, YEAH, SURE, WATER'S FINE, OR NO!
>> IT WAS VERY ENCOURAGED.
I SHOULD SAY IT WAS A PROUD THING TO BE AN ACTOR IN THE
FAMILY I GREW UP IN.
THEN I BECAME AN ACTOR, AND THEN I DID MY FIRST PLAY, AND THEN MY
PARENTS CAME TO IT, AND THEN MY PARENTS CAME BACKSTAGE, AND THEN
MY MOTHER SAID, THAT WAS TERRIBLE.
( LAUGHTER ) AND IT WAS ALL YOU'VE GOT TO GO
TO UNIVERSITY SO YOU WILL HAVE SOMETHING TO FALL BACK ON, LIKE
THAT.
>> Stephen: MAYBE DIESEL MECHANICS OR SOMETHING LIKE
THAT, ALWAYS NEED MECHANICS.
>> YEAH, MM-HMM.
>> Stephen: HOW DID THAT FEEL, SEAN?
TAKE ME THROUGH IT, LET'S GO BACK TO THAT FEELING, LET'S
FOLLOW THAT.
I'M ASKING YOU TO DIG DEEPER, THAT'S WHAT I'M ASKING.
WE'LL GO TO COMMERCIAL.
YOU THINK ABOUT THAT.
WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK.
WHEN WE COME BACK, DYLAN PENN WILL JOIN US AND I'LL ASK HER
WHAT IT'S DIKE TO BE DIRECTED BY OSCAR WINNER SEAN PENN!