Cast member Sean Penn is interviewed at the premiere of “The Gunman” in Los Angeles, California March 12, 2015. | Photo: Reuters
The Hollywood actor-director praised Cuba for its people and many advances, while calling Dick Cheney “embittered bacteria of humanity.”
The Oscar-winning Hollywood actor Sean Penn has denounced his government for numerous foreign policy fouls, such as the blockade of Cuba and creating the Islamic State group.
Penn, during an interview on the “Conan” show on Wednesday, referred to call the U.S’s half-century freeze out of Cuba a “blockade,”.
The actor and director, who has met both Fidel and Raul Castro, who have led Cuba since its 1959 revolution, slammed the blockade as “archaic.”
Penn spoke excitedly about the change that the thaw in relations between his country and the Caribbean island will bring.
“There’s certainly going to be real change in Cuba,” Penn said. “The Cuban people have incredible spirit and incredible intelligence and are very bright. Among the positive things the revolution brought are literacy. I think it’s going to be a very exciting change in what they can bring to us culturally.
“You’ll have this magic population that’s now a part of the world,” he continued. “I’m very excited about it.”
He also commented on the U.S. role in creating the Islamic State group. Referring to the terror organization by its Arabic name, Penn blamed former Vice President Dick Cheney and former President George W. Bush for its creation.
“These are the guys, he and President Bush and some others, who invented Daesh, or ISIS.
“I mean, they really are that which created it, and so I wanted to give him a shout-out,” he added about Cheney. “Thanks for that.”
Penn could not hold back his disdain for Cheney, who he called an “embittered bacteria of humanity.”
Speaking of the inspiration for his Oscar-winning role, Harvey Milk, the first openly gay Person elected to public office in California, Penn said, “We have people like Harvey Milk, who were beautiful, brilliant, impactful guys, and, you know — it’s just no good deed goes unpunished, and then you’ve got the Cheneys.”
“Conan” host Conan O’Brien was one of the first entertainment stars from the U.S. to take advantage of the new era of U.S.-Cuba relations, when he filmed an episode of his talk show from Havana in February.
teleSUR
March 19, 2015
