HOLLYWOOD - Screen star Sean Penn has hit back at those who criticized his trips towar-torn Iraq, labeling them "envious".
The Mystic River actor was prepared for a cynical backlash before even
embarking on the trip because he recognizes many of the people who attack
celebrities for trying to make a difference politically are simply "failed
actors" themselves.
He says, "It's interesting. I haven't broken this down but I would say that
about half of the loudest talking heads are people who are on the record as
failed actors, people who are envious.
"So I just feel you ignore them. I knew what it was going to be like before I
went on that trip."
The 44-year-old Oscar winner, who printed an open letter of protest to
President George W. Bush in The Washington Post, insists that now is the time to
rebuild Iraq, following the U.S.-led invasion of the Middle East country.
He continues, "Going to Iraq was one of the greatest experiences of my life
and I don't regret it. What I regret is that we made the decisions we made and
for the reasons we made them without a debate and without truth.
"Going back a year later, clearly it's not a war or anti-war position. You
start to think, 'OK, how can we make this really work for people?'"
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