Sean Penn Takes On Gay Role in "Milk"

The Oscar-winning actor's latest role is that of a gay San Francisco politician who was murdered back in 1978 and Penn is receiving rave reviews.

So far, Penn, who has been widely known in Hollywood for his brash and macho attitude, has won over the critics with his dazzling performance of this felled elected official. According to Reuters, "Writing for USA Today, reviewer Claudia Puig called Penn's performance 'magnificent, career-topping' and Kenneth Turan, in a generally mixed review of the overall film, called Penn's performance 'strong and convincing.'"

In recent years, it has been more common to see women "coming out of the closet," than men-Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O'Donnell being the most famous female personalities to reveal that they were, in fact, lesbians.

But, within the past few months, American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken and television star Neil Patrick Harris, best known for his role as Doogie Howser, M.D. and now a cast member on the CBS hit, How I Met Your Mother, are the latest men to reveal their sexual orientation to the public.

Given today's political landscape and with the controversial issue of gay marriage still ripe in people's minds, those watching Milk cannot help but see the progress gay rights have made since 1978. The movie does focus on Milk's battle against Proposition 6, which would have banned gay teachers in public schools in 1978.

Still, even with the ever-changing times, it is difficult to find gay actors to play such roles, "It was hard to find gay actors who were out. . . . There really aren't (many). You could do it, but they would be unknowns and that would be fine with me, but the money (financiers) would start to get nervous," says the movie's openly gay director, Gus Van Sant. Yet, Penn along with his Milk costars, James Franco, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin and Diego Luna, felt comfortable in their gay roles, despite being heterosexual.

Also, it seems Milk is being well received by moviegoers. According to Variety.com, "In its debut over the five-day Thanksgiving frame, Gus Van Sant's Sean Penn topliner Milk broke into the B.O. top 10. The Focus Features title, which opened Wednesday, posted a whopping per-screen average of $52,627 for the five-day stretch, grossing an estimated $1.9 million from 26 runs to land at No. 10 overall."