Sean Penn Has One Special Noun for Steve Bannon After Working With Him: ‘Crook’

Sean Penn’s cigarette-filled grumpus press tour continues — this time without the Marlboro Reds! But, with an anecdote about working with a young Steve Bannon! See, when Penn made his directorial debut with 1991’s The Indian Runner, Bannon was one of the financiers, hoping to dip his toes in the Hollywood industry. But even then, Bannon just sucked in the eyes of Penn. “He exerted the same level of charm as he does today,� he explained on Conan, remembering a weird moment when Banon hired two “cheerleader� make-up girls despite the film’s small budget. “He’s a crook. I didn’t even know it was the same Steve Bannon until I looked at him closely and imagined the Steve Bannon I knew but with the toxins of the soul so deteriorated and bloated. I don’t think you can age like that without hating people.� Somehow, not as bad as “bitter Hollywood wannabee.�