1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,800 Speaker 1: Welcome fans of movie history and true crime to Hollywood Land, 2 00:00:07,080 --> 00:00:09,680 Speaker 1: where we are once again rewinding the tape in our 3 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:13,160 Speaker 1: archive of stories to bring you this episode on Sean Penn. 4 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:18,080 Speaker 1: Next month, Schampenn is up for his sixth Academy Award nomination. 5 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:21,320 Speaker 1: He's won Best Actor twice in the past, and this 6 00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:24,400 Speaker 1: is his first ever Best Supporting Actor nomination for his 7 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:28,280 Speaker 1: role as Colonel Stephen J. Lockjaw and Paul Thomas Anderson's 8 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:31,480 Speaker 1: One Battle after Another. But back in the nineteen eighties, 9 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:34,760 Speaker 1: when Penn's acting career broke through, he was fighting his 10 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:37,559 Speaker 1: own battles off screen. It was the age of the 11 00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:40,839 Speaker 1: so called brat pack. But unlike a lot of his contemporaries, 12 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:43,599 Speaker 1: Champenn seemed to have a higher gear, and that made 13 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:46,400 Speaker 1: him stand out from the pack with roles in films 14 00:00:46,479 --> 00:00:49,120 Speaker 1: like Fast Times at Ridgemont High with the Falcon and 15 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:53,199 Speaker 1: the Snowman and at Close Range. It was Shampenn's realness, 16 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:56,400 Speaker 1: though his intense style of method acting that bled over 17 00:00:56,520 --> 00:00:59,040 Speaker 1: into his private life or should I say public life, 18 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:03,000 Speaker 1: because his wild, often violent transgressions were the stuff of 19 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:06,920 Speaker 1: tabloid headlines. But for every scuffle with the paparazzi that 20 00:01:06,959 --> 00:01:10,360 Speaker 1: made the papers. There was another untold story of darkness 21 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:13,640 Speaker 1: of life on the jagged edge of paths that led 22 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:17,800 Speaker 1: to prison time, to prison escapes, to the overtores of 23 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:20,720 Speaker 1: one of the most notorious serial killers in history, and 24 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:25,400 Speaker 1: to a pardon negotiated by a former Beatle. I hope 25 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:28,240 Speaker 1: you dig this episode on Sean Penn. Then I hope 26 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:30,000 Speaker 1: you come back on Wednesday when I talk with all 27 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:32,360 Speaker 1: of you about this week's subject in the Rap Party, 28 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:34,959 Speaker 1: and again on Friday, where I'll do a deep dive 29 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:38,680 Speaker 1: into the nineteen eighty six film At Close Range. 30 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:44,960 Speaker 2: This episode contains content that may be disturbing to some listeners. 31 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:47,280 Speaker 2: Please check the show notes for more information. 32 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:51,080 Speaker 3: Hollywood Land is a production of Double. 33 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:54,520 Speaker 2: Elvis I'm Love My. 34 00:01:56,280 --> 00:02:08,480 Speaker 3: Mid The stories about Sean Penn are insane. He once 35 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:11,799 Speaker 3: held a photographer upside down from a ninth story balcony 36 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:15,520 Speaker 3: as payback for hiding in his hotel room. He escaped 37 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:18,240 Speaker 3: from a prison in Macau, after which a member of 38 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:22,639 Speaker 3: the Beatles successfully negotiated with triad gangs for his freedom. 39 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:27,679 Speaker 3: He corresponded with serial killer Richard Ramirez aka the Knightstocker 40 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:31,440 Speaker 3: while in lock up in La County jail, and despite 41 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:34,239 Speaker 3: having a legendary temper that got him into trouble more 42 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:39,920 Speaker 3: times than not, Sean Penn made great films, unlike that 43 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:41,560 Speaker 3: clip I played for you at the top of the 44 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:44,920 Speaker 3: show that wasn't from a great film. That was a 45 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:47,920 Speaker 3: fair youse sample from the Library of Congress of James 46 00:02:47,919 --> 00:02:51,200 Speaker 3: Harrison singing I've lost my heart but I don't care 47 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:55,160 Speaker 3: in nineteen o eight. I played you that clip because 48 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:57,920 Speaker 3: I can't afford the rights to Roberts Mechis's Back to 49 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:01,640 Speaker 3: the Future. And why would I play that specific slice 50 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:05,200 Speaker 3: of one point twenty one jigawat Cheese? Could I afford it? 51 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:09,080 Speaker 3: Because that was the number one movie in America on 52 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:12,600 Speaker 3: August sixteenth, nineteen eighty five, And that was the day 53 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:16,520 Speaker 3: that Sean Penn married Madonna on a Malibu bluff overlooking 54 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:19,680 Speaker 3: the Pacific Ocean, an indelible moment of the eighties era 55 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:23,919 Speaker 3: Hollywood that kicked off more than two tumultuous years of fights, arrests, 56 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:30,320 Speaker 3: and lockups. On this episode Madonna, Ninth Story, Balconies, Prison Breaks, 57 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:35,440 Speaker 3: The Nightstalker, and Sean Penn, I'm Jake Brennan, and this 58 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:36,720 Speaker 3: is Hollywood. 59 00:03:36,800 --> 00:04:10,080 Speaker 2: Land Martin. 60 00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:12,040 Speaker 3: Sheen thought for a moment that he was back in 61 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:15,960 Speaker 3: the shit. The choppers circling in the sky above Malibu 62 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:18,800 Speaker 3: took him back nearly ten years in the past, to 63 00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:22,240 Speaker 3: the Philippines. The blade spinning high up in the air 64 00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:24,359 Speaker 3: reminded him of the blades of the ceiling fan in 65 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:27,880 Speaker 3: the tiny, god forsaken room in Manila. He felt the 66 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:31,200 Speaker 3: phantom ache in the knuckles of his right hand, where 67 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:34,119 Speaker 3: the glass shards of that mirror had sliced him open 68 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:37,160 Speaker 3: when he put his fist through it. That take was 69 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:41,920 Speaker 3: one hundred percent the blood the agony now. Sheen didn't 70 00:04:41,960 --> 00:04:44,640 Speaker 3: serve in the military for Reel, but he served on 71 00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:48,520 Speaker 3: the set of Apocalypse Now, and between the punishing typhoons 72 00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:51,800 Speaker 3: and his ill timed heart attack, the experience of making 73 00:04:51,839 --> 00:04:55,040 Speaker 3: that particular Francis for Copola film was a tour of 74 00:04:55,120 --> 00:04:59,919 Speaker 3: duty that he'd sometimes rather forget. The helicopters were getting 75 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:03,520 Speaker 3: closer now. They hovered low, the sound of their blades 76 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:07,640 Speaker 3: throbbing like unstable weather. Christopher Walkin said he thought they 77 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:12,239 Speaker 3: looked like dragonflies. It was surreal. The whole ordeal was surreal, 78 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:16,480 Speaker 3: like a Fellini film or a circus literally Tom Cruise, 79 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 3: mingling with Cher and David Geffen, David Letterman, rubbing elbows 80 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:25,080 Speaker 3: with Diane Keaton, Andy Warhol, snapping polaroids, curried oysters, and 81 00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:28,640 Speaker 3: fresh Hawaiian fish on platters catered by none other than 82 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:32,840 Speaker 3: celebrity chef Wolf Game Puck, all together at a six 83 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:36,080 Speaker 3: point five million dollar cliff top mansion on Point Doom, 84 00:05:36,279 --> 00:05:40,200 Speaker 3: surrounded by neighbors like Johnny Carson and Bob Dylan. There 85 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:42,720 Speaker 3: was even a giant tent erected over a tennis court 86 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:45,080 Speaker 3: that doubled as a place for celebrities to hide from 87 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:52,159 Speaker 3: the paparazzi. On August sixteenth, nineteen eighty five, Sean Penn's 88 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:56,039 Speaker 3: marriage to Madonna was an epical moment for nineteen eighties Hollywood. 89 00:05:56,440 --> 00:05:58,640 Speaker 3: The bad boy from Bad Boys and the boy Toy 90 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:02,799 Speaker 3: Superstar brought together in holy matrimony. It was her twenty 91 00:06:02,839 --> 00:06:05,760 Speaker 3: seventh birthday, and he turned twenty five the next day. 92 00:06:06,560 --> 00:06:09,920 Speaker 3: Their love was as unlikely as it was incandescein a 93 00:06:09,960 --> 00:06:12,640 Speaker 3: bolt of lightning, setting a lone tree a blaze in 94 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:16,120 Speaker 3: the middle of a storm. Sean was consumed by it. 95 00:06:17,080 --> 00:06:20,520 Speaker 3: Just seven months earlier, in January, he visited the set 96 00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:23,600 Speaker 3: of the music video from Madonna's latest single, material Girl. 97 00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:26,560 Speaker 3: January was also the month of the release of The 98 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:29,640 Speaker 3: Falcon and the Snowman, the Cold War thriller Sean had 99 00:06:29,680 --> 00:06:32,520 Speaker 3: made with his buddy Tim Hutton. It was yet another 100 00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:35,359 Speaker 3: dramatic role that pushed him further away from the lovable 101 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:37,919 Speaker 3: stoner rep he earned with his role as Specoli in 102 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:41,760 Speaker 3: Fast Times at Bridgemont High. Being on the music video 103 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:45,120 Speaker 3: set that day was galvanizing. He could say it was 104 00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:48,600 Speaker 3: because the video's concept was a lengthy recreation of Marilyn 105 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:52,279 Speaker 3: Monroe's iconic number from Gentlemen Preferred Blondes, and as a 106 00:06:52,320 --> 00:06:54,360 Speaker 3: student of classic Hollywood. 107 00:06:54,040 --> 00:06:55,480 Speaker 2: It intrigued him. 108 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:59,120 Speaker 3: But if Sean Penn was being brutally honest, Sean Penn 109 00:06:59,279 --> 00:07:03,360 Speaker 3: was nothing not brutally honest. Madonna was all that mattered. 110 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:08,159 Speaker 3: She was intriguing in curning that pink dress, those gloves 111 00:07:08,200 --> 00:07:11,560 Speaker 3: that ran the length of her forearms, those diamonds sparkling 112 00:07:11,560 --> 00:07:14,680 Speaker 3: around her neck, clearly a girl's best friend. In the 113 00:07:14,720 --> 00:07:17,440 Speaker 3: eyeliner she used to accentuate the mole above her right 114 00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:21,960 Speaker 3: upper lip, that was it. Loha, Future Missus Penn. Sean 115 00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:27,000 Speaker 3: was Indeed, their romance unfolded in a slower fashion than 116 00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:31,080 Speaker 3: many gossip fodder relationships. Sean took Madonna on honest to 117 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:33,520 Speaker 3: God dates in the early days, like they were courting 118 00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:36,840 Speaker 3: in a Hayes Code picture. He couldn't handle the Manhattan 119 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:39,600 Speaker 3: based club scene she'd come up in. He was too 120 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:42,280 Speaker 3: tough for that sort of thing. But Madonna was fresh 121 00:07:42,280 --> 00:07:46,200 Speaker 3: off of a relationship with her career guru, John Jellybean Benitez, 122 00:07:46,720 --> 00:07:49,960 Speaker 3: was ready for a change. It was mutually beneficial for 123 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:52,680 Speaker 3: the both of them. In Sean, Madonna found a kind 124 00:07:52,720 --> 00:07:56,000 Speaker 3: of blunt toughness, one that she could channel on stage 125 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:58,280 Speaker 3: and in her music as well as someone who did 126 00:07:58,280 --> 00:08:01,360 Speaker 3: not care about the traditional trappings were celebrity. She could 127 00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:03,920 Speaker 3: mirror that same toughness and use it for her own career. 128 00:08:04,680 --> 00:08:07,560 Speaker 3: In Madonna, Sean found a person whom he could protect 129 00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:11,600 Speaker 3: from those looking to infringe upon her privacy, or perhaps 130 00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:16,120 Speaker 3: someone he thought he could control. He could protect, don cue, 131 00:08:16,320 --> 00:08:20,200 Speaker 3: control the situation, take charge in a heartbeat, which is 132 00:08:20,240 --> 00:08:22,920 Speaker 3: what he did when Shutterbugs found the Lovebird's hand in 133 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:26,120 Speaker 3: hand emerging from the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, only 134 00:08:26,280 --> 00:08:30,000 Speaker 3: days after Sean had proposed to Madonna. Those assholes wanted 135 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:32,400 Speaker 3: photos of the ring on her finger. They wanted one 136 00:08:32,400 --> 00:08:35,199 Speaker 3: of Hollywood's hottest power couples to say something provocative and 137 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:35,880 Speaker 3: off the cuff. 138 00:08:36,440 --> 00:08:37,200 Speaker 2: Fat chance. 139 00:08:38,080 --> 00:08:41,200 Speaker 3: Nashville was supposed to have offered a reprieve from this bullshit. 140 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:44,440 Speaker 3: Sean was in town to shoot at close range a 141 00:08:44,520 --> 00:08:47,959 Speaker 3: neo noirra Passion project with his friend, director James Foley. 142 00:08:48,559 --> 00:08:51,160 Speaker 3: The movie gave him the opportunity to act alongside not 143 00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:54,200 Speaker 3: only his younger brother Chris, but their mother, the actress 144 00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:57,080 Speaker 3: Eileen Ryan, who was lured out of retirement to star 145 00:08:57,200 --> 00:09:00,840 Speaker 3: with her boys. Nashville was far away from the prying 146 00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:03,880 Speaker 3: eyes of New York in La or so, Sean hoped. 147 00:09:04,679 --> 00:09:06,960 Speaker 3: At the end of the day, it didn't matter, because 148 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:09,080 Speaker 3: these two goons from that rag the Sun were going 149 00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:10,439 Speaker 3: to get a hell of a lot more than they 150 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:14,880 Speaker 3: bargained for. As the photographers made their approach, but Donna 151 00:09:14,920 --> 00:09:17,200 Speaker 3: pulled her baseball cap over her eyes and looked at 152 00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:21,199 Speaker 3: the pavement, out of sight, out of mind. Sean stood 153 00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:25,400 Speaker 3: his ground, stood by his woman. Fuck these stirbacks. He 154 00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:27,160 Speaker 3: didn't know how the rock got in his hand. It 155 00:09:27,280 --> 00:09:29,640 Speaker 3: was just there, and that kind of thing happened when 156 00:09:29,640 --> 00:09:32,880 Speaker 3: things got real, When things escalated, he get heated and 157 00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:35,120 Speaker 3: then the next thing you know is a rock in 158 00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:39,440 Speaker 3: your hand. Is that science? Maybe it's just karma. The 159 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:43,360 Speaker 3: photographers noticed the projectile and slowed their approach too late. 160 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:47,480 Speaker 3: Sean tossed it, threw it hard. One of those assholes 161 00:09:47,480 --> 00:09:48,880 Speaker 3: turned the other way and the rock hit him in 162 00:09:48,880 --> 00:09:52,120 Speaker 3: his cowardly back. Sean came in clos their fists swinging. 163 00:09:52,160 --> 00:09:54,800 Speaker 3: He was like a wild dog, unchained. He grabbed one 164 00:09:54,800 --> 00:09:56,840 Speaker 3: of those fucker's cameras and began to beat him with it, 165 00:09:57,040 --> 00:09:57,840 Speaker 3: over and over. 166 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:02,520 Speaker 2: Near heard the thing crack good. See what happens, That's 167 00:10:02,559 --> 00:10:04,200 Speaker 2: what happens. 168 00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:08,520 Speaker 3: Sean Penn was arrested later that night on misdemeanor charges 169 00:10:08,559 --> 00:10:11,280 Speaker 3: of assaultant battery. He was hauled out to night court, 170 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:13,880 Speaker 3: where he promptly made bell. He was back to work 171 00:10:13,920 --> 00:10:17,080 Speaker 3: the next day. According to James Foley, he never talked 172 00:10:17,120 --> 00:10:20,559 Speaker 3: about the incident on set. Megan Oakes, daughter of the 173 00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:23,240 Speaker 3: folk singer Phil Oaks and Shawn's assistant on the Choote, 174 00:10:23,280 --> 00:10:25,840 Speaker 3: said that the assaults had a chilling effect on everyone 175 00:10:25,880 --> 00:10:29,280 Speaker 3: involved in the production. No one felt comfortable just walking 176 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:32,040 Speaker 3: up and talking to Sean, she remarked, and he kind 177 00:10:32,040 --> 00:10:35,360 Speaker 3: of liked that. A few months and then no contest pleay. Later, 178 00:10:35,800 --> 00:10:38,480 Speaker 3: Sewn received a suspended sentence of ninety days and one 179 00:10:38,520 --> 00:10:42,600 Speaker 3: hundred dollars fine from a Nashville judge. But first, Sean 180 00:10:42,679 --> 00:10:46,200 Speaker 3: Penn had a wedding to do. Nothing could ruin that 181 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:49,360 Speaker 3: day up on Point Due, not Nashville judges, not even 182 00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:53,439 Speaker 3: the helicopters, whether they tried. The six choppers hovered above, 183 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:56,520 Speaker 3: droning on so loudly that Shawn and Madonna could barely 184 00:10:56,559 --> 00:10:59,160 Speaker 3: hear each other's vows over their din. And you know what, 185 00:11:00,040 --> 00:11:02,679 Speaker 3: let him drone, let them burn through gasoline up in 186 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:05,760 Speaker 3: the La haze, because whatever shots they were getting from 187 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:08,000 Speaker 3: those eyes in the sky weren't going to amount to much. 188 00:11:08,640 --> 00:11:13,000 Speaker 3: Shanna made sure of that. Earlier, before the ceremony, he'd 189 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:14,760 Speaker 3: gone out of his way to traps down to the 190 00:11:14,800 --> 00:11:16,760 Speaker 3: sandy beach at the bottom of the bluff to carve 191 00:11:16,800 --> 00:11:19,560 Speaker 3: out a special message for those vultures. It was a 192 00:11:19,600 --> 00:11:23,040 Speaker 3: message written in six foot high letters, clearly visible from 193 00:11:23,040 --> 00:11:26,880 Speaker 3: the helicopter's vantage point, and also large enough that it 194 00:11:26,880 --> 00:11:30,760 Speaker 3: would ruin the photos for public consumption. That brazen message 195 00:11:30,760 --> 00:12:01,040 Speaker 3: written in the Malibu sand read an fuck off. January 196 00:12:01,360 --> 00:12:04,600 Speaker 3: nineteen eighty six. The jet foil left a haze of 197 00:12:04,640 --> 00:12:07,040 Speaker 3: salty mist in its wake as it sped across the 198 00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:11,199 Speaker 3: cellsh Chines see towards Macau. It seemed to effortlessly float 199 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:14,079 Speaker 3: on the water. Sean Penn wished he could do the same, 200 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:18,320 Speaker 3: but nothing in this moment felt effortless. Standing on board, 201 00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:23,400 Speaker 3: Seawn nursed two distinctly different inches. The first was an 202 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:27,120 Speaker 3: occupational hazard. He had his trainer turned bodyguard to think 203 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:30,480 Speaker 3: for that. Sean's knuckles hurt ever so slightly from the 204 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:34,920 Speaker 3: workout he just endured. Some industry types producers mostly liked 205 00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:37,800 Speaker 3: to use grip strengtheners to help relieve stress and tension, 206 00:12:38,400 --> 00:12:42,000 Speaker 3: but Sean had always preferred boxing. It conveniently doubled as 207 00:12:42,040 --> 00:12:44,719 Speaker 3: a form of anger management, and there were plenty of 208 00:12:44,760 --> 00:12:47,600 Speaker 3: reasons to be angry. Half Way across the world was 209 00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:51,400 Speaker 3: his wife Madonna on this ill advised vanity project. The 210 00:12:51,520 --> 00:12:54,480 Speaker 3: movie was quickly turning into the exact opposite of what 211 00:12:54,520 --> 00:12:58,600 Speaker 3: Seawan had expected. When George Harrison and his production company 212 00:12:58,679 --> 00:13:03,200 Speaker 3: Handmade Films came calling with a period adventure called Shanghai Surprise. 213 00:13:03,679 --> 00:13:06,640 Speaker 3: It seemed like a pitch perfect feature for an it couple, 214 00:13:06,760 --> 00:13:10,040 Speaker 3: like the Poison Pens, as those bastards and the tabloids 215 00:13:10,040 --> 00:13:13,360 Speaker 3: had christened them. Sean and Madonna thought they'd beat Bogey 216 00:13:13,360 --> 00:13:16,559 Speaker 3: and MacCall, cruising down the waters of an exotic countryside, 217 00:13:16,640 --> 00:13:20,160 Speaker 3: their Hollywood glamourous sharp contrast to the rough and tumple scenery. 218 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:23,680 Speaker 3: Besides saying no to the guy who wrote Here Comes 219 00:13:23,679 --> 00:13:27,280 Speaker 3: the Sun, well, that would be a pity. The second 220 00:13:27,320 --> 00:13:29,880 Speaker 3: ache was one that Sean was pretty sure one Humphrey 221 00:13:29,880 --> 00:13:32,720 Speaker 3: Bogart had experienced all those years ago while on location 222 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:37,000 Speaker 3: for The African Queen. Like Bogey, Sean Penn didn't drink 223 00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:40,240 Speaker 3: the water. He stuck to good old fashioned bourbon. You 224 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:43,400 Speaker 3: couldn't do the shit. Sober, Sean thought of his father, 225 00:13:43,520 --> 00:13:46,120 Speaker 3: the actor and director Leo Penn. A couple of two 226 00:13:46,160 --> 00:13:49,360 Speaker 3: finger rised into his nightly bender drowning. His sorrow was 227 00:13:49,400 --> 00:13:52,000 Speaker 3: about to fail, the acting career ruined by the prying 228 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:54,679 Speaker 3: eyes of the House Committee on on American Activities and 229 00:13:54,720 --> 00:13:58,520 Speaker 3: their infamous Blacklist exile to the land of television in 230 00:13:58,559 --> 00:14:02,640 Speaker 3: the nineteen sixties, and his endgame was always the same 231 00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:06,000 Speaker 3: quote to turn a worse piece of shit into a better. 232 00:14:05,800 --> 00:14:07,400 Speaker 2: Piece of shit unquote. 233 00:14:08,040 --> 00:14:10,040 Speaker 3: You didn't have to beat Leo Penn to know that 234 00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:13,120 Speaker 3: Shanghai's Surprise was the mother of all pieces of shit. 235 00:14:13,760 --> 00:14:17,120 Speaker 3: The director was in way over his head. The script 236 00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:20,800 Speaker 3: was awful, and to make matters worse, locals took the 237 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:23,400 Speaker 3: fucking with the crew. They drove cars onto the set 238 00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:24,920 Speaker 3: and the only thing that would make them go away 239 00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:26,680 Speaker 3: was cash. 240 00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:27,440 Speaker 2: Beadle. 241 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:30,040 Speaker 3: George himself had made the track from England to playcate 242 00:14:30,080 --> 00:14:33,080 Speaker 3: his two stars, who made it known that they were unhappy. 243 00:14:33,640 --> 00:14:35,920 Speaker 3: He booked them a gorgeous hotel room in the Portuguese 244 00:14:35,960 --> 00:14:39,480 Speaker 3: controlled city of Macau, nine stories off the ground, far 245 00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:42,320 Speaker 3: away from the riff raff, a fortress to relax and 246 00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:47,240 Speaker 3: recuperate in without worry. When Sean stepped off the jetfoil 247 00:14:47,280 --> 00:14:50,080 Speaker 3: and into the room, his bodyguard at his side, it 248 00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:53,760 Speaker 3: was like he stepped into an oasis of calm, marble walls, 249 00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:57,080 Speaker 3: fully stalked bar, a gorgeous view from the balcony, even 250 00:14:57,120 --> 00:15:00,480 Speaker 3: a bouquet of flowers from the quiet beetle. His staff 251 00:15:00,520 --> 00:15:02,600 Speaker 3: was on hand, ready to meet the couples. Every knee 252 00:15:02,960 --> 00:15:05,920 Speaker 3: so was security, burly men who wouldn't have looked out 253 00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:09,160 Speaker 3: of place with triad gangs he saw regularly on the streets. 254 00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:14,000 Speaker 3: He'd found it solace, relief. His aching knuckles and midday 255 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:17,600 Speaker 3: bourbon hangover were the only things bothering him. And then 256 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:22,920 Speaker 3: the closet door swung open. A flash went off. Sean's 257 00:15:22,960 --> 00:15:25,760 Speaker 3: eyes blinked hard in reaction. They caught him off guard. 258 00:15:26,120 --> 00:15:29,560 Speaker 3: He stumbled, struggled to regain focus. First foot second, he 259 00:15:29,640 --> 00:15:31,800 Speaker 3: thought it was a muzzle flash. But once he heard 260 00:15:31,840 --> 00:15:34,600 Speaker 3: the familiar sound of film's boy, the same sound that 261 00:15:34,600 --> 00:15:38,480 Speaker 3: accompanied every single camera he'd ever smashed, he knew he'd 262 00:15:38,480 --> 00:15:39,320 Speaker 3: been ambushed. 263 00:15:40,480 --> 00:15:41,880 Speaker 2: Unbelievable. 264 00:15:42,400 --> 00:15:45,040 Speaker 3: The photographer had been hiding in the room for hours 265 00:15:45,040 --> 00:15:48,880 Speaker 3: and hours, patient, little motherfucker who was almost impressive. Even 266 00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:51,720 Speaker 3: how old the guy was, he'd clearly seen better days. 267 00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:54,640 Speaker 3: Vulture gigs like that sucked the life out of you, 268 00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:58,320 Speaker 3: and this one was proof, all wrinkled skin and gone frame. 269 00:15:59,680 --> 00:16:03,040 Speaker 3: Within seconds, Sean was on him. The guy went down, 270 00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:06,160 Speaker 3: clutching his camera. It fell from his hands. He scampered 271 00:16:06,160 --> 00:16:08,680 Speaker 3: backwards as Sean and his bodyguard advanced on him. 272 00:16:08,920 --> 00:16:10,480 Speaker 2: He knew what was going to happen next. 273 00:16:11,040 --> 00:16:12,920 Speaker 3: These two Americans were going to convince him that he'd 274 00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:15,720 Speaker 3: gone on his last stakeout, but he wasn't prepared for 275 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:18,960 Speaker 3: exactly how they were going to do it. Sean's bodyguard 276 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:22,000 Speaker 3: grabbed the guy's left ankle, Sean gripped the right, and 277 00:16:22,080 --> 00:16:24,520 Speaker 3: before the photographer knew what was happening, he was being 278 00:16:24,560 --> 00:16:27,080 Speaker 3: treated to a view of Macau that only skydivers and 279 00:16:27,160 --> 00:16:31,280 Speaker 3: suicidal bankers had ever seen. He was upside down, suspended 280 00:16:31,280 --> 00:16:33,480 Speaker 3: in the air. He felt the blood rush to his 281 00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:36,160 Speaker 3: head as it smacked against the balcony railing, and the 282 00:16:36,200 --> 00:16:37,080 Speaker 3: fall would kill him. 283 00:16:37,120 --> 00:16:37,560 Speaker 2: He knew it. 284 00:16:37,960 --> 00:16:40,320 Speaker 3: His mind raised as he wondered how crazy scham Penn 285 00:16:40,360 --> 00:16:43,680 Speaker 3: really was. He regretted hiding in that closet. It wasn't 286 00:16:43,680 --> 00:16:45,840 Speaker 3: worth it, None of it was worth it. If he 287 00:16:45,880 --> 00:16:47,760 Speaker 3: could just be given a second chance, he'd run off 288 00:16:47,760 --> 00:16:50,200 Speaker 3: and leave Sean and Madonna and all the other Americans alone. 289 00:16:50,640 --> 00:16:52,920 Speaker 3: But he didn't say any of these things out loud 290 00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:57,040 Speaker 3: to his tormentors. The photographer, dangling from a ninth story 291 00:16:57,080 --> 00:17:00,600 Speaker 3: balcony while two men held on to his legs, greened 292 00:17:00,840 --> 00:17:07,880 Speaker 3: out loud for his life. It would have been nice 293 00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:12,080 Speaker 3: if he spoke Portuguese, but honestly it wasn't necessary. The 294 00:17:12,119 --> 00:17:15,119 Speaker 3: process was universal enough that at this point in his 295 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:17,960 Speaker 3: life he could grasp the basics without knowing a word 296 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:21,240 Speaker 3: of the local language. Security guards had witnessed his little 297 00:17:21,240 --> 00:17:23,720 Speaker 3: stunt on the hotel balcony with the photographer, and now 298 00:17:23,840 --> 00:17:26,560 Speaker 3: Sean Penn and his bodyguard were sitting in a jail cell. 299 00:17:27,200 --> 00:17:31,560 Speaker 3: Except that little stunt, there was nothing little about it, 300 00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:33,879 Speaker 3: and stunts were something you did on a movie set 301 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:37,760 Speaker 3: by the book and under strict supervision. This was more 302 00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:39,639 Speaker 3: like attempted fucking murder. 303 00:17:40,440 --> 00:17:40,800 Speaker 2: Damn. 304 00:17:41,280 --> 00:17:43,440 Speaker 3: Add to that, no one except for the hotel staff 305 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:46,960 Speaker 3: knew that they had been arrested. Sweat ran down Sean's face, 306 00:17:47,320 --> 00:17:49,160 Speaker 3: either nerves or the hell on earth heat. 307 00:17:49,680 --> 00:17:52,000 Speaker 2: That was it. He was done. He knew it. 308 00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:54,280 Speaker 3: The life of Sean Penn as the world knew it 309 00:17:54,320 --> 00:17:56,560 Speaker 3: was about to end in a foreign jail cell, and 310 00:17:56,600 --> 00:17:59,480 Speaker 3: even worse, his last film unfinished No less would be 311 00:17:59,520 --> 00:18:02,280 Speaker 3: a turkey. So much for the legacy of the mighty 312 00:18:02,320 --> 00:18:06,639 Speaker 3: Penn family. Then he noticed it, the cell door. 313 00:18:06,720 --> 00:18:08,159 Speaker 2: It was open. 314 00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:12,240 Speaker 3: It seemed too good to be true. Good bad didn't matter. 315 00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:16,040 Speaker 3: Sean and his bodyguard were up and out. They tore 316 00:18:16,119 --> 00:18:18,280 Speaker 3: asked on the hallway, the other prisoners yelling and screaming 317 00:18:18,320 --> 00:18:21,240 Speaker 3: as they ran past. Whether the screams were in solidarity 318 00:18:21,359 --> 00:18:23,800 Speaker 3: or not, Sean didn't know, and he didn't care. He 319 00:18:23,920 --> 00:18:26,400 Speaker 3: just had a get out out of jail, out of Macau. 320 00:18:27,119 --> 00:18:30,960 Speaker 3: It took delicate negotiations between the movie's producers, including George 321 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:34,000 Speaker 3: Harrison in the Deadly Triad, who effectively ran the city, 322 00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:36,560 Speaker 3: to not only allow Sean to finish making the movie, 323 00:18:36,880 --> 00:18:41,640 Speaker 3: but to return to America safe and sound. Later that summer, 324 00:18:41,960 --> 00:18:46,240 Speaker 3: Shanghai's surprise hit movie theaters with a thud. The next year, 325 00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:50,040 Speaker 3: Sean received a letter from the Portuguese government. It didn't 326 00:18:50,080 --> 00:18:53,280 Speaker 3: specify the crime for which he was never convicted, but 327 00:18:53,359 --> 00:18:56,280 Speaker 3: it gave him a blanket pardon. Nonetheless, he was free 328 00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:58,600 Speaker 3: to come and go as he pleased. It was the 329 00:18:58,680 --> 00:19:01,840 Speaker 3: last time he would ever get away with something so easily. 330 00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:08,160 Speaker 2: We'll be right back after this. We're we're where. 331 00:19:12,840 --> 00:19:14,960 Speaker 3: There are many ways in which the city of Los 332 00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:18,199 Speaker 3: Angeles differs from the city of Macau. For one, if 333 00:19:18,240 --> 00:19:20,600 Speaker 3: you find yourself in a cell in La County Jail, 334 00:19:20,880 --> 00:19:23,640 Speaker 3: one lone ray of light creeping across the filthy floor. 335 00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:26,640 Speaker 3: You are unlikely to discover the door to said cell 336 00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:30,240 Speaker 3: to be a jar. That shit just doesn't happen. La 337 00:19:30,320 --> 00:19:34,680 Speaker 3: County Lockup is overcrowded and lockdown tight. Fear lurks around 338 00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:38,119 Speaker 3: every corner in the form of inmates and correctional officers alike. 339 00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:42,600 Speaker 3: Shouts of desperation echoed on the long corridor, the hollow 340 00:19:42,680 --> 00:19:46,000 Speaker 3: ring of metal on metal, noises lingering like tonight is 341 00:19:46,119 --> 00:19:49,359 Speaker 3: after a late night. GNR said at the whiskey. It 342 00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:53,399 Speaker 3: was August nineteen eighty seven. Sean Penn glanced up at 343 00:19:53,400 --> 00:19:57,480 Speaker 3: the ceiling of his cramped cell, another sleepless night. There 344 00:19:57,520 --> 00:20:02,040 Speaker 3: was no sleep in La County Lockup. Time moves slowly 345 00:20:02,080 --> 00:20:04,480 Speaker 3: on the inside. It was always too much of it, 346 00:20:04,880 --> 00:20:06,600 Speaker 3: and just when you thought you were near the end 347 00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:11,080 Speaker 3: of it, there was more, always more. The dominoes, however, 348 00:20:11,280 --> 00:20:13,199 Speaker 3: the ones that had fallen just right to get him 349 00:20:13,240 --> 00:20:16,520 Speaker 3: here in the first place, they fell fast that when 350 00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:19,240 Speaker 3: they weren't falling fast enough for him, Sean Penn helped 351 00:20:19,320 --> 00:20:23,440 Speaker 3: knock him over. David Hawk Wallinski was the first domino, 352 00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:25,919 Speaker 3: and he'd fallen just around a year prior when he 353 00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:29,240 Speaker 3: came in contact with Sean's fist at a place called Helena's. 354 00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:34,720 Speaker 3: Helena's was Jack Nicholson's go to watering hole, Los Angeles. 355 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:35,800 Speaker 2: Oh. 356 00:20:36,119 --> 00:20:38,760 Speaker 3: In fact, it was most Alis Who's go to watering hole. 357 00:20:38,800 --> 00:20:43,320 Speaker 3: At the time, Helena's was hush hush. Photography was not allowed, 358 00:20:43,640 --> 00:20:47,800 Speaker 3: discretion was paramount. Annual memberships ran from five hundred dollars 359 00:20:47,840 --> 00:20:51,520 Speaker 3: to three thousand dollars at Helena's. Prince famously with the 360 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:54,800 Speaker 3: moves on Rosanna Arquette while the song Kissed soundtrack the 361 00:20:54,840 --> 00:20:58,440 Speaker 3: moment Elton John and Rod Stewart tore up the dance floor, 362 00:20:58,800 --> 00:21:00,320 Speaker 3: George Michael spun record It's. 363 00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:01,080 Speaker 2: From the DJ poot. 364 00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:05,520 Speaker 3: On this particular night in July nineteen eighty six, Jack 365 00:21:05,640 --> 00:21:09,400 Speaker 3: was holding corps. Naturally, Sean and Madonna showed up expecting 366 00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:10,440 Speaker 3: a night of bullshitting with. 367 00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:12,080 Speaker 2: The Master, Jack Nicholson. 368 00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:16,080 Speaker 3: Jesus the stories he must have, But when Sean spotted 369 00:21:16,119 --> 00:21:18,480 Speaker 3: Hawk from across the room, he knew the knight was 370 00:21:18,520 --> 00:21:22,480 Speaker 3: about to take a turn for the worse. That fucking 371 00:21:22,520 --> 00:21:26,399 Speaker 3: guy Madonna had told Sean all about him trouble. He 372 00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:29,439 Speaker 3: played keys, wrote a hit for Sha Ka Khan, but 373 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:31,360 Speaker 3: when he tried to work on a record with Madonna. 374 00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:33,760 Speaker 3: All he did was try to push his grubby mits 375 00:21:33,800 --> 00:21:37,160 Speaker 3: all over. Sean knew he probably wasn't the only one, 376 00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:39,560 Speaker 3: but that didn't make it any better, and it didn't 377 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:42,440 Speaker 3: prevent Sean from his knee jerk reaction back when Madonna 378 00:21:42,440 --> 00:21:44,560 Speaker 3: first told him about it. What do you do to 379 00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:47,199 Speaker 3: a guy like that? You hop in your car, You 380 00:21:47,320 --> 00:21:49,640 Speaker 3: hunt him down. He beat the living shit out of him, 381 00:21:49,640 --> 00:21:52,800 Speaker 3: That's what you do. Madonna talked Sean off the ledge 382 00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:55,840 Speaker 3: for hours. Hawk, on the other hand, remember the whole 383 00:21:55,880 --> 00:21:59,040 Speaker 3: thing differently. He simply gave Madonna a kiss on the 384 00:21:59,119 --> 00:22:01,840 Speaker 3: cheek and she was leaving the studio one day. He 385 00:22:01,880 --> 00:22:05,680 Speaker 3: hadn't thought much of it since then. At Helena's, as 386 00:22:05,720 --> 00:22:08,040 Speaker 3: Hawk made his way across the room, it was all 387 00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:11,080 Speaker 3: Sean Penn could think about. It was like a stovetop 388 00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:14,480 Speaker 3: burner clicked on in his head and the gas was flowing, 389 00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:17,639 Speaker 3: cranked up nice and high, and all he needed was 390 00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:20,120 Speaker 3: a lip match to come close so it could combust 391 00:22:20,160 --> 00:22:21,399 Speaker 3: into a white hot flame. 392 00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:26,560 Speaker 2: Come on, Hawk, come closer. He's a little bit closer now. 393 00:22:27,359 --> 00:22:30,639 Speaker 3: Hawk was taller, beefier too, and maybe that was his 394 00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:33,840 Speaker 3: aide showing, but where other men might have been intimidated 395 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:37,200 Speaker 3: into standing down, Sean Penn saw a challenge to rise 396 00:22:37,280 --> 00:22:40,120 Speaker 3: up against Hawk got close enough so that he could 397 00:22:40,119 --> 00:22:41,400 Speaker 3: extend his hand towards Sean. 398 00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:42,760 Speaker 2: My handshake. 399 00:22:43,119 --> 00:22:45,920 Speaker 3: No fuck off, he's son of a bitch. How dare 400 00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:48,600 Speaker 3: this guy make his wife feel uncomfortable? How dairy have 401 00:22:48,680 --> 00:22:50,520 Speaker 3: the audacity to assume he could even be in her 402 00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:53,840 Speaker 3: presence right now, much less his The look on Hawk's 403 00:22:53,880 --> 00:22:57,919 Speaker 3: face was all confusion. He glanced over him Madonna, his 404 00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:01,200 Speaker 3: eyes through a lifeline. Maybe it was what Hawk had done, 405 00:23:01,320 --> 00:23:03,359 Speaker 3: or maybe the way he passed it off is nothing, 406 00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:05,360 Speaker 3: or maybe it was the look he was shooting over 407 00:23:05,440 --> 00:23:08,080 Speaker 3: a Madonna now, like the two of them were allies 408 00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:12,000 Speaker 3: or something. Suddenly there was a loud pop and Sean's 409 00:23:12,080 --> 00:23:15,399 Speaker 3: knuckles ached again, ached, just like they had back on 410 00:23:15,440 --> 00:23:18,880 Speaker 3: that jetfoil headed to Macau. Hawk was on the floor. 411 00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:23,280 Speaker 3: Sean advanced animal instinct to go over now, neutralize the 412 00:23:23,359 --> 00:23:26,600 Speaker 3: threat wherever it stood or wherever it laid. He picked 413 00:23:26,680 --> 00:23:28,880 Speaker 3: up a chair and smashed it right next to Hawk's head. 414 00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:31,080 Speaker 3: He didn't know it at the moment, but that volatile 415 00:23:31,119 --> 00:23:34,320 Speaker 3: display of intimidation took the entire altercation up the ladder 416 00:23:34,359 --> 00:23:38,240 Speaker 3: of law from a misdemeanor to a felony. Sean knew 417 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:40,120 Speaker 3: in his gut that he hadn't actually hit the guy 418 00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:42,120 Speaker 3: with the chair. It was like a move you pulled 419 00:23:42,160 --> 00:23:44,119 Speaker 3: on the set of an action film. You did it 420 00:23:44,160 --> 00:23:46,679 Speaker 3: so it looked real, it felt real, but it was 421 00:23:46,720 --> 00:23:51,199 Speaker 3: all for show, or was it. Some days it was 422 00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:53,760 Speaker 3: hard to tell what was show business and what was 423 00:23:53,760 --> 00:23:57,240 Speaker 3: taking care of business. Sean Penn's work life balance was 424 00:23:57,280 --> 00:24:00,399 Speaker 3: a bit unbalanced at the moment. He was angry, he 425 00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:03,200 Speaker 3: was paranoid. He could blame the intense research to prepare 426 00:24:03,240 --> 00:24:05,879 Speaker 3: for his role in Dennis Hopper's new movie Colors, in 427 00:24:05,920 --> 00:24:08,480 Speaker 3: which he played alongside Robert Duvall as a beat cop 428 00:24:08,520 --> 00:24:11,400 Speaker 3: on the mean streets of south central LA. To get 429 00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:13,879 Speaker 3: in the zone, Sean went on ride alongs with a 430 00:24:13,920 --> 00:24:17,879 Speaker 3: fourth generation Irish cop named Dennis Fanning. Fanning was in 431 00:24:17,920 --> 00:24:21,320 Speaker 3: the Community Resource Against Streethoodlum's unit, better known by the 432 00:24:21,320 --> 00:24:24,639 Speaker 3: acronym CRASH, which ruled the streets with an iron fist 433 00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:28,240 Speaker 3: in the days before Rampart in Rodney King. Fanning was 434 00:24:28,320 --> 00:24:32,080 Speaker 3: Sean's kind of badass. Sean watched as Fanning collared a 435 00:24:32,080 --> 00:24:34,680 Speaker 3: perp who ran from an area where gunshots rang out. 436 00:24:35,200 --> 00:24:37,600 Speaker 3: Sean couldn't help himself. He got in on the action, 437 00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:40,320 Speaker 3: recovering the gun from the sidewalk where it had been tossed. 438 00:24:40,920 --> 00:24:44,080 Speaker 3: Fanning chastised Sean for confusing being a badass with being 439 00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:47,400 Speaker 3: a dumbass. Since he touched the gun, that meant Sean 440 00:24:47,440 --> 00:24:49,960 Speaker 3: would be an accessory to the arrest in court, a 441 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:52,520 Speaker 3: plot twist that would get them both in trouble, And 442 00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:55,240 Speaker 3: though he wouldn't admit it out loud, Sean did feel 443 00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:57,200 Speaker 3: a little like a dumb ass As he watched Fanning 444 00:24:57,200 --> 00:25:00,960 Speaker 3: wipe his prints off at the piece, he decided to 445 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:03,240 Speaker 3: only handle the guns he was beginning to accumulate on 446 00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:06,680 Speaker 3: his own. He left them all over the house. As 447 00:25:06,720 --> 00:25:09,399 Speaker 3: the lines between Sean's character and Colors and his real 448 00:25:09,480 --> 00:25:14,199 Speaker 3: self blurred, Madonna noticed something was gonna happen, though no 449 00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:17,359 Speaker 3: one knew when or where. The random guy skateboarding on 450 00:25:17,400 --> 00:25:19,000 Speaker 3: the set of Colors had no idea. 451 00:25:18,800 --> 00:25:19,880 Speaker 2: Would involve him. 452 00:25:20,240 --> 00:25:23,159 Speaker 3: He rolled past the camera's frame, taking pictures of everything 453 00:25:23,160 --> 00:25:25,560 Speaker 3: he saw. For a moment, it looked like a scene 454 00:25:25,560 --> 00:25:28,800 Speaker 3: from a movie, maybe even this movie. Some muscle bound 455 00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:31,159 Speaker 3: punk looking to pick a fight with a cop, but 456 00:25:31,240 --> 00:25:35,159 Speaker 3: the cameras weren't rolling. Sean Penn was imposturing for Dennis Hopper. 457 00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:37,280 Speaker 3: The fuck are you doing here? He shouted at the 458 00:25:37,280 --> 00:25:40,520 Speaker 3: guy with the skateboard and the camera. Sean demanded the camera. 459 00:25:40,800 --> 00:25:43,560 Speaker 3: The guy spat out his reply. It landed right on 460 00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:47,399 Speaker 3: Sean's face. The spit merging with Kate foundation in sweat, 461 00:25:47,600 --> 00:25:52,600 Speaker 3: and the uniform took over. Sean launched. The whole set 462 00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:56,040 Speaker 3: broke into chaos, Extra scattering PA's and grips trying to 463 00:25:56,040 --> 00:25:58,760 Speaker 3: break it up. Pops just standing there surveying the scene, 464 00:25:58,880 --> 00:26:01,159 Speaker 3: the bitter taste of crafts serve his coffee hanging on 465 00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:03,000 Speaker 3: his tongue. He got a good look at the guy 466 00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:05,840 Speaker 3: after Sean was pulled away, covered in blood and bruises. 467 00:26:06,359 --> 00:26:09,359 Speaker 3: Hopper had to admit he admired his proget's craft, even 468 00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:11,159 Speaker 3: though he knew the kid would wind up getting. 469 00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:11,639 Speaker 2: In trouble for him. 470 00:26:13,640 --> 00:26:16,240 Speaker 3: The final domino to fall was the one Sean regretted 471 00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:19,960 Speaker 3: the most. He drank well into the night, and then 472 00:26:20,359 --> 00:26:23,520 Speaker 3: he got behind the wheel on the road. 473 00:26:23,520 --> 00:26:24,359 Speaker 2: He tried to make up. 474 00:26:24,240 --> 00:26:26,600 Speaker 3: His mind, should he keep the night going or just 475 00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:29,800 Speaker 3: head home and argue with his wife. In a haze, 476 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:32,639 Speaker 3: he ran a stop sign. A cop had been following 477 00:26:32,680 --> 00:26:35,280 Speaker 3: him the entire time, noticing that he was drifting in 478 00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:38,240 Speaker 3: and out of his lane. The judge gave him sixty days. 479 00:26:38,520 --> 00:26:41,080 Speaker 3: The DA requested he do his time in La County 480 00:26:41,119 --> 00:26:43,280 Speaker 3: after they caught win The Shawn's attorneys were trying to 481 00:26:43,280 --> 00:26:45,400 Speaker 3: set him up in a quieter place for his sentence, 482 00:26:47,240 --> 00:26:50,320 Speaker 3: and so here he was staring at the ceiling of 483 00:26:50,359 --> 00:26:54,520 Speaker 3: his cell time marching slowly on while his material girl 484 00:26:54,560 --> 00:26:57,680 Speaker 3: wife gallivanted around the world touring a record she named 485 00:26:57,720 --> 00:27:01,760 Speaker 3: after his favorite phrase, true Blue. He wondered where she. 486 00:27:01,840 --> 00:27:02,480 Speaker 2: Was right now? 487 00:27:02,760 --> 00:27:05,360 Speaker 3: What the fans in that night's city had for a request? 488 00:27:06,200 --> 00:27:08,359 Speaker 3: And then a guard approached his cell with a request 489 00:27:08,359 --> 00:27:11,960 Speaker 3: of his own. One of the other inmates wanted Shawn's autograph, 490 00:27:12,240 --> 00:27:17,520 Speaker 3: but not just any inmate Richard Ramirez, aka the Valley Intruder, 491 00:27:17,800 --> 00:27:23,480 Speaker 3: aka the Walking Killer aka the knight Stalker, awaiting trial 492 00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:27,720 Speaker 3: for a gruesome murder spree just across the hallway from Seawan, 493 00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:31,080 Speaker 3: and Ramirez had a note for the other famous inmate 494 00:27:31,119 --> 00:27:35,000 Speaker 3: on his block. Sewn unfolded the piece of paper, Ramirez 495 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:37,720 Speaker 3: a drawn a pentagram and a makeshift devil, next to 496 00:27:37,760 --> 00:27:41,439 Speaker 3: which he'd written, Hey Penn, stay tough and hit them again, 497 00:27:42,040 --> 00:27:47,600 Speaker 3: Richard Ramirez six six six. Sewan decided to do one 498 00:27:47,640 --> 00:27:52,000 Speaker 3: better than an autograph. He wrote Ramirez back, Richard, it's 499 00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:55,120 Speaker 3: impossible to be incarcerated and not feel a certain kinship 500 00:27:55,160 --> 00:27:59,040 Speaker 3: with your fellow inmates, Sean snoop began, and then he continued, 501 00:27:59,320 --> 00:28:02,720 Speaker 3: but I've done the possible. I feel absolutely no kinship 502 00:28:02,760 --> 00:28:05,480 Speaker 3: with you. I hope the gas descends upon you before 503 00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:25,919 Speaker 3: sanity does. It would be a kinder way out. On 504 00:28:25,960 --> 00:28:29,760 Speaker 3: September seventeenth, nineteen eighty seven, Sean Penn was released from 505 00:28:29,840 --> 00:28:32,480 Speaker 3: La County Jail on account of good behavior after serving 506 00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:36,320 Speaker 3: roughly half of his sixty day sentence. A few months later, 507 00:28:36,359 --> 00:28:39,600 Speaker 3: his wife, Madonna, who would bounced back from Shanghai's Surprise 508 00:28:39,720 --> 00:28:43,080 Speaker 3: with the slightly better received screwball comedy Who's That Girl, 509 00:28:43,480 --> 00:28:48,840 Speaker 3: filed for divorce. What actually happened next is hard to say, 510 00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:52,440 Speaker 3: and accounts vary depending on who's telling the story. What's 511 00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:55,120 Speaker 3: known for sure is that Sean Penn, fresh out of 512 00:28:55,160 --> 00:28:57,880 Speaker 3: jail and back in the wild, reacted poorly to his 513 00:28:57,920 --> 00:29:00,840 Speaker 3: wife's attempts to move on didn't help that she got 514 00:29:00,880 --> 00:29:04,239 Speaker 3: cozy with John F. Kennedy Junior, who, despite disappointing her 515 00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:07,320 Speaker 3: in the sack, provided ample fantasy material for someone who 516 00:29:07,360 --> 00:29:11,040 Speaker 3: tailored her look after Marilyn Monroe, Or that she piled 517 00:29:11,080 --> 00:29:13,959 Speaker 3: around with famed chick picker Upper Warren Baty right as 518 00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:16,840 Speaker 3: they were set to make Dick Tracy together, Or that 519 00:29:16,960 --> 00:29:20,120 Speaker 3: she showed off her close relationship with comedians Sandra Bernhard, 520 00:29:20,160 --> 00:29:23,880 Speaker 3: which straddled the boundaries of flirtation. There they were on 521 00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:27,600 Speaker 3: lettering together, dressed full on butch, talking about their experiences 522 00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:29,560 Speaker 3: in lesbian Paris for all to see. 523 00:29:29,960 --> 00:29:30,400 Speaker 2: It was a. 524 00:29:30,360 --> 00:29:33,400 Speaker 3: Cocktail of emotions that Sean Penn was perhaps ill equipped 525 00:29:33,400 --> 00:29:37,360 Speaker 3: to handle. Years of rumor and speculation would cloud whatever 526 00:29:37,400 --> 00:29:39,960 Speaker 3: the hell it was that actually happened one night in 527 00:29:40,040 --> 00:29:45,280 Speaker 3: nineteen eighty eight. Decades later, in twenty fifteen, the director 528 00:29:45,320 --> 00:29:48,400 Speaker 3: producer Leed Daniels off handedly alluded to those rumors while 529 00:29:48,440 --> 00:29:51,200 Speaker 3: trying to defend Terrence Howard, then the lead of the 530 00:29:51,240 --> 00:29:55,120 Speaker 3: Fox primetime soap opera Empire, over allegations that the actor 531 00:29:55,120 --> 00:29:58,560 Speaker 3: had committed domestic violence. Terence ain't done nothing different than 532 00:29:58,600 --> 00:30:00,880 Speaker 3: Marlon Brando or Sean Penn, and all of a sudden, 533 00:30:00,920 --> 00:30:05,000 Speaker 3: he's some fucking demon, Daniels told the Hollywood Reporter. Sean Penn, 534 00:30:05,080 --> 00:30:07,240 Speaker 3: now one of the most critically lauded actors of his 535 00:30:07,360 --> 00:30:10,840 Speaker 3: generation with Academy Awards for performances in Clint Eastwood's Mystic 536 00:30:10,920 --> 00:30:14,040 Speaker 3: River and Gus van Zant's Milk, filed the defamation suit 537 00:30:14,200 --> 00:30:18,080 Speaker 3: and demanded damages of ten million dollars. The lawsuit brought 538 00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:20,760 Speaker 3: those rumors fully back to the surface, which both he 539 00:30:20,880 --> 00:30:24,360 Speaker 3: and Madonna had done their best to forget. Madonna spoke 540 00:30:24,400 --> 00:30:26,480 Speaker 3: out about the allegations for the first time in the 541 00:30:26,520 --> 00:30:29,440 Speaker 3: nearly two decades since the divorce, claiming that they were 542 00:30:29,560 --> 00:30:34,719 Speaker 3: and remained bullshit. What's likely to be bullshit is that 543 00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:37,920 Speaker 3: Sean Penn ever hit Madonna with a baseball bat. Back 544 00:30:37,960 --> 00:30:41,120 Speaker 3: in June of nineteen eighty seven, at least according to Gawker, 545 00:30:41,160 --> 00:30:43,520 Speaker 3: which dug into those claims on the lawsuit against Lee, 546 00:30:43,600 --> 00:30:47,200 Speaker 3: Daniels was still headline news that claim had emerged from 547 00:30:47,240 --> 00:30:50,200 Speaker 3: the tabloids, and the supposed paper trail that these articles 548 00:30:50,280 --> 00:30:54,640 Speaker 3: cited never materialized under any sort of scrutiny. What's murkier 549 00:30:54,800 --> 00:30:57,120 Speaker 3: is what happened between the couple on December twenty eighth, 550 00:30:57,240 --> 00:31:01,600 Speaker 3: nineteen eighty eight. The version, popularized specifically by the people 551 00:31:01,640 --> 00:31:04,400 Speaker 3: a Uk Sunday Rag is that Sean, in a fit 552 00:31:04,480 --> 00:31:07,080 Speaker 3: of rage, scaled the walls surrounding the Malibu house that 553 00:31:07,120 --> 00:31:09,240 Speaker 3: he used to share with it soon to be ex wife. 554 00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:09,600 Speaker 2: And broke in. 555 00:31:10,720 --> 00:31:13,520 Speaker 3: And then Madonna had supposedly given the staff a day off, 556 00:31:13,560 --> 00:31:16,160 Speaker 3: and he found her inside, where he allegedly tied her 557 00:31:16,200 --> 00:31:19,480 Speaker 3: to a chair with a rope, electrical cord, twined leather straps, 558 00:31:19,480 --> 00:31:21,640 Speaker 3: whatever he could get his hands on, and tormented her 559 00:31:21,640 --> 00:31:25,920 Speaker 3: for hours. As the story goes, somehow, either through persuasion 560 00:31:26,160 --> 00:31:28,160 Speaker 3: or a feet of daring, Madonna was able to get 561 00:31:28,160 --> 00:31:30,360 Speaker 3: to a sheriff station, who saw the condition she was 562 00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:32,600 Speaker 3: in it promptly went to the house to arrest Shawn. 563 00:31:35,280 --> 00:31:37,960 Speaker 3: Most of what information remains about that day comes from 564 00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:40,600 Speaker 3: Bill Sweeney, a sheriff who claimed he was one of 565 00:31:40,640 --> 00:31:43,480 Speaker 3: the first people to see Madonna in the aftermath. In 566 00:31:43,560 --> 00:31:46,640 Speaker 3: nineteen ninety one, Sweeney told a biographer that Shawn had 567 00:31:46,680 --> 00:31:50,600 Speaker 3: committed a quote unique and specific type of violence unquote 568 00:31:50,680 --> 00:31:52,880 Speaker 3: that was shrouded by privacy laws when it came to 569 00:31:52,880 --> 00:31:56,920 Speaker 3: public disclosure and prosecution. As the biographer noted, each was 570 00:31:56,960 --> 00:32:00,080 Speaker 3: a specific type of sexual violence. It was it was 571 00:32:00,120 --> 00:32:02,560 Speaker 3: a very serious matter, Sweeney had said. 572 00:32:02,680 --> 00:32:03,440 Speaker 2: Quote it was. 573 00:32:03,400 --> 00:32:06,880 Speaker 3: Something that, if prosecuted, would have had great implications unquote. 574 00:32:07,680 --> 00:32:10,480 Speaker 3: Madonna refused to comment on any of it, dancing around 575 00:32:10,520 --> 00:32:12,320 Speaker 3: the question when she was pressed in an interview in 576 00:32:12,400 --> 00:32:16,560 Speaker 3: nineteen eighty nine. To this day, it remains hearsay. But 577 00:32:16,640 --> 00:32:18,960 Speaker 3: in the same year that Sweeney's a counter emerged, Sean 578 00:32:19,040 --> 00:32:21,760 Speaker 3: Penn spoke to Playboy magazine, where, in the words of 579 00:32:21,800 --> 00:32:24,960 Speaker 3: the writer, Hollywood's bad boy actor opened up in a 580 00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:28,880 Speaker 3: candid conversation. Sean claimed the fuss was simply about the 581 00:32:28,920 --> 00:32:31,640 Speaker 3: guns he kept around the house. Madonna had voiced a 582 00:32:31,680 --> 00:32:34,800 Speaker 3: concern to the local authorities that if she, the estranged wife, 583 00:32:34,880 --> 00:32:36,880 Speaker 3: showed up at the house, something horrible would happen to 584 00:32:36,920 --> 00:32:39,840 Speaker 3: her involving all those guns, or, as Sean put it 585 00:32:39,880 --> 00:32:42,200 Speaker 3: when speaking to Playboy, she was worried she would get 586 00:32:42,240 --> 00:32:46,400 Speaker 3: quote a very severe haircut unquote. The swat team busted 587 00:32:46,440 --> 00:32:48,320 Speaker 3: in through every door of the house, fully prepared to 588 00:32:48,360 --> 00:32:52,080 Speaker 3: find some violent standoff scene inside, but all they found 589 00:32:52,200 --> 00:32:55,960 Speaker 3: was Sean sitting at a table eating cereal, and Madonna 590 00:32:56,040 --> 00:32:59,600 Speaker 3: never filed any charges, and Sean Penn was never arrested. 591 00:33:01,720 --> 00:33:04,400 Speaker 3: Bill Sweeney at least continued to tell his side of 592 00:33:04,440 --> 00:33:07,720 Speaker 3: the story. He offered up more details to madonna second 593 00:33:07,760 --> 00:33:12,479 Speaker 3: unauthorized biographer. According to the lieutenant, Madonna escaped Sean's clutches 594 00:33:12,480 --> 00:33:15,160 Speaker 3: and ran to her fifty seven Thunderbirds sitting in the driveway, 595 00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:17,840 Speaker 3: where she called the police from a car phone. As 596 00:33:17,840 --> 00:33:20,520 Speaker 3: Sweeney's story goes, Sean flew out of the house after her, 597 00:33:20,640 --> 00:33:23,600 Speaker 3: slamming his fist against the car's windows while Madonna talked 598 00:33:23,640 --> 00:33:25,880 Speaker 3: with the officers on the phone, and when she was 599 00:33:25,920 --> 00:33:28,720 Speaker 3: finished with the call, supposedly she hung up and made 600 00:33:28,760 --> 00:33:31,720 Speaker 3: her way to the station, where her appearance shocked Sweeney. 601 00:33:32,480 --> 00:33:35,000 Speaker 3: Sweeney had said that when Madonna staggered into the station, 602 00:33:35,160 --> 00:33:37,920 Speaker 3: she was distruck and crying, with makeup smeared all over 603 00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:41,040 Speaker 3: her face, and Sweeney said he hardly recognized her as Madonna, 604 00:33:41,080 --> 00:33:43,720 Speaker 3: the singer. She was weeping, her lip was bleeding, and 605 00:33:43,760 --> 00:33:46,520 Speaker 3: she was all marked up. She had obviously been struck. 606 00:33:46,840 --> 00:33:49,600 Speaker 3: That's what Sweeney had said. He also said the quote, 607 00:33:49,640 --> 00:33:52,000 Speaker 3: this was a woman in big trouble, no doubt about 608 00:33:52,000 --> 00:33:56,600 Speaker 3: it unquote, but was that the truth? Sean Penn, of course, 609 00:33:56,600 --> 00:34:00,480 Speaker 3: and Madonna both claim otherwise, and Sean Penn a legal 610 00:34:00,560 --> 00:34:04,240 Speaker 3: victory in twenty sixteen when his lawsuit was withdrawn following 611 00:34:04,280 --> 00:34:08,800 Speaker 3: an apology and retraction from Lee Daniels. But a murky 612 00:34:08,840 --> 00:34:11,160 Speaker 3: Hayes still hangs over the events of that night back 613 00:34:11,160 --> 00:34:14,080 Speaker 3: in nineteen eighty eight, when the world's most famous pop 614 00:34:14,080 --> 00:34:17,759 Speaker 3: diva and her ill tempered husband fully dissolve whatever relationship 615 00:34:17,800 --> 00:34:20,440 Speaker 3: remained between the two of them. And no matter the 616 00:34:20,480 --> 00:34:23,759 Speaker 3: amount of fame and accolades that Champenn has accumulated over 617 00:34:23,760 --> 00:34:27,520 Speaker 3: the years, the humanitarian work, the oscars, his work behind 618 00:34:27,560 --> 00:34:31,080 Speaker 3: the camera, He's never fully escaped the specter of the 619 00:34:31,120 --> 00:34:34,880 Speaker 3: Hollywood bat boy, a harmful euphemism that makes light of 620 00:34:34,960 --> 00:34:37,880 Speaker 3: men who raise hell and cause chaos on an offset 621 00:34:38,320 --> 00:34:42,239 Speaker 3: of artists whose bright talents and fierce tempers perhaps need 622 00:34:42,320 --> 00:34:47,480 Speaker 3: to be tamed and most definitely ought to be in pictures. 623 00:34:48,080 --> 00:35:05,439 Speaker 3: I'm Jake Brennan and this is Hollywood Land. Hollywood Land 624 00:35:05,480 --> 00:35:08,480 Speaker 3: was created by Years Truly and is produced in partnership 625 00:35:08,520 --> 00:35:09,400 Speaker 3: with Double Elvis. 626 00:35:10,239 --> 00:35:12,279 Speaker 1: Follow like rate and review Hollywood Land. 627 00:35:12,320 --> 00:35:14,239 Speaker 4: Wherever you get your podcasts and get in touch with 628 00:35:14,320 --> 00:35:17,520 Speaker 4: us on social media at double Elvis. If you like 629 00:35:17,560 --> 00:35:20,720 Speaker 4: hollywood Land, check out my other show, the award winning Disgraceland, 630 00:35:20,840 --> 00:35:22,759 Speaker 4: which looks at the world of music through the lens 631 00:35:22,840 --> 00:35:25,520 Speaker 4: of true crime. Just search for Disgraceland or wherever you 632 00:35:25,560 --> 00:35:26,440 Speaker 4: get your podcasts. 633 00:35:32,080 --> 00:35:33,399 Speaker 2: Good God, A Las