As one of Hollywood’s critically acclaimed stars, Sean Penn’s revelation of the “biggest magical movie moment of his life” deserves fans’ attention.
In his speech, the actor, guest of honor at the Lumière Festival in Lyon, describes that moment as when he saw his friend Jack Nicholson’s highly successful film, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
“I heard my name called a lot tonight,” he shares while looking excited. “But I’ve felt very comfortable with this in the sense that knowing that Cuckoo’s Nest was going to play, there was no doubt that I was going to be able to find great humility under the circumstances.”
“One of the great, magical moments of my life at the movies was the first time I saw Jack Nicholson in Miloš Forman’s ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,'” the 65-year-old continues.
The Oscar winner considers himself “privileged” and shares that he worked not just once but twice with Jack. “I had the privilege of being able to work with Jack twice.”
He continues: “With both ‘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”] has worked with me.”
Speaking in front of a crowd of 5,000, Sean opens up even more about the film: “There was a little movie theater by the beach in Los Angeles that I went to.”
“Back then, in the late ’70s, it seemed like every movie that came out was some kind of event. But today I wouldn’t think twice about sharing this movie with a 16 or 17-year-old because it would hold up, even with those who get bored very quickly,” the star jokes.
Meanwhile, the Lumière Film Festival, where Sean gave an emotional speech, will end on October 19.
