Sean Penn Says Timely Drama ‘Words Of War’ Is A Five-Alarm Fire Warning

Filmmaker, actor, and activist Sean Penn is not emotional as he discusses political thriller Words of War. However, while clear, considered, and calm, his message is an urgent and dire warning he wants people on both sides of the aisle to hear.

“When talking about this film, I try to maintain a kind of personal neutrality so that audiences of any perspective can go and find in it a cautionary tale,” he explains as we chat over Zoom. “Some may be surprised to recognize things they may not see for what they really are. Both sides seem to call the others fascist these days; I think reasonable people of all sides of the political spectrum will come out of their understanding which fascism is fascism and why it’s something that we should resist in every way possible.”

Words of War is based on a true story and focuses on journalist Anna Politkovskaya, played by Maxine Peake, whose brave crusade to be an independent voice of truth inside Putin’s Russia put her life in jeopardy. Politkovskaya was killed on Putin’s birthday in 2006. Executive produced by Penn and Representative Eric Swalwell, Words of War, which also stars Jason Isaacs and Ciarán Hinds, is exclusively in theaters.

The power of words is in the film’s DNA. Something that the two-time Oscar winner Penn is aware of and wants audiences to think about is their true meaning because that too often gets lost.

“For example, socialism,” he muses. “There are some politicians who like to identify with socialism. Of course, we can find terrible examples of socialism around the world, historically and currently, but when you sit down with someone and say, ‘Your grandmother’s life was saved by an ambulance or a policeman when she called 911. What credit card did she give them when the police showed up and kept the people from breaking into her house? No credit card. That’s socialism.’ Let’s start using new words and push this idea of quality of life in words of war. You see what happens when we don’t do that.”

“There’s also a tipping point with a voluntary moment of cowardice, and it sometimes comes from fatigue. That could be economic fatigue for one person or cultural fatigue for another, and when leaders come along who connect up the dots to create fears on higher levels, but also immunity for those who stand with that leader, bit by bit, it becomes a culture of cowardice, and that is fascism. Cowardice, in a big group with a lot of weapons and security services, is what adds up. One of the things about Anna Politkovskaya as a journalist is that she was incredibly brave but the reason it’s magnified is because she was one of so few who were willing to take those chances. What we are seeing in this country is incredible cowardice in so much of the media, and therefore, those who are brave stand alone; those who are brave in the face of fascism are at great risk. That’s what this story is all about.”

Sean Penn Wants ‘Words Of War’ To Start A Conversation

Penn presents Words of War as an opportunity for dialogue and hopes that people of all political persuasions will watch it. While some might doubt that’ll happen, other films have achieved this with great success.

“I hope that it will bring people to the table,” he says. “We’ve recently seen an example of it working with Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here in Brazil. It was a major film, beautiful and important. In Brazil, where it was a gigantic hit as well, people from the far right were going and seeing what plays out when the far right is given that much slack. They were starting to say, ‘Maybe we shouldn’t go that far?’ It had exactly the impact that a director making a film with any political reference would dream of happening. We hope that the same will happen for this equally extraordinary film.”

Something that continues to concern Penn, known for his stellar performances in films such as Milk, Mystic River, Taps, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High, is the current threats to journalism and the media and some’s reluctance or fear to speak truth to power.

“We understand that there are always going to be some journalists or some journalistic outlets that are less than productive, but then there are a lot of great journalists here in the United States,” the Into the Wild director muses. “In many cases, the big company that owns the platform they work for will be a limiter on that. Without it, we won’t be the America that everybody claims so much pride in or claimed so much pride in whatever their political perspective is, and we won’t be a democracy.”

“It reminds me of something I think everyone should see as a companion piece to Words of War, and it’s a viral video of former Supreme Court Justice David Souter, who was asked what keeps him up at night, and it really had to do with a lack of civics education, and without that, an electorate doesn’t know who to hold accountable. He says very presciently that, at some point, somebody will come along who says, ‘Only I can fix these problems,’ and we’ll give them the ball and let them run with it. That’s when we get into big trouble.”

Penn continues, “We’re absolutely there. There’s no denying it. Sometimes, people are cautious or have performative sobriety when it is in the media, where they don’t want to call it out for all that it is when this is a five-alarm fire. Let’s keep in mind that we remember in President Trump’s first campaign when he said he could shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue and nobody would do anything about it. The Supreme Court has now agreed with him. Joe Biden could have had him assassinated and faced no charges. I would not have been for that, and President Biden would never have done that, of course, but when things go as far as they do when society allows what is happening here now to continue, that’s when you get Words of War.”

Sean Penn On The Threats Facing Journalism And Those Who Speak Out

Something else that deeply concerns Penn is the threat facing news programs, organizations such as NPR, and public service broadcaster PBS. He wants people to understand the importance of public media and the vulnerability of corporate media.

“Who owns the airspace?” he asks. “I remember the days of Walter Cronkite. First of all, there was the difficulty of what happened when we went into a 24-hour news cycle. The great New York Times pieces on the Vietnam War took four months to write. They didn’t get written between eight in the morning, then sent in to be filed, and then posted on the internet later that day, so there’s that problem. There was still a greater aspiration for decency and integrity, whereas today, it’s almost like Oliver Stone’s Wall Street movie where Michael Douglas says greed is good. It is as though shameful behavior is good, and we see that in how the media is being treated and how people are quickly ready to give up their brains. It’s not just for decoration. They’ll stop using that, go with what their heart fears, and look for a gang to be part of. So many grassroots activists have been persecuted. We’re in a time where I think everybody who has read the Constitution and who has any care for the future of their children’s country or world should be working very hard, even in dinner table conversations, to support and encourage the need for honest and courageous journalism.”

Like Politkovskaya and the more than 1,800 journalists killed worldwide so far this century, Penn realizes that their work and his speaking out involves personal risk. He’s also aware that the risk is clear and present, and people want to actively silence such voices. However, Penn, who is currently working on an untitled project about the late journalist Jamal Khashoggi, is philosophical about the harsh reality of potential consequences.

“Up to now, and I don’t know if it’s still the case, but under all administrations, the FBI has been very good about knocking on your door and letting you know when, for some reason, there’s been a heightened threat assessment. I’ve had concerns like that in the past,” he says. “Also, I’m 65, and having lived the great life that I’ve lived, I don’t give it much thought. I’ve been a very lucky person. The funny thing about speaking out, speaking up, or journalism, is that maybe it’s time that people also stand down and pause right when it seems like it’s the most important time to speak up.”

The Words of War executive producer concludes, “If one were strategizing related to our current political dilemma in this country, it was clear, based on the economic and immigration policies that were being announced, that the migrants were going to take the pain first. Right now, and in real-time, the base of this President is going to take the pain next. Sometimes, we may not want to remind them that they’ve created a false enemy out of those on the other side of thought and let the people who own all the wealth hang themselves a little bit.”