Sean Penn Talks Directing Daughter’s Drug and Near-Rape Scenes

Sean Penn has directed Jack Nicholson, Viggo Mortensen and Kristen Stewart in memorable films; but he tells Yahoo it was nothing like directing his daughter. 

His latest film, Flag Day, has him directing an adaptation of Jennifer Vogel’s memoir the Flim-Flam Man, with him as con artist John Vogel, and his kids with ex-wife Robin Wright, Dylan and Hopper Penn.

"It was really intense," Dylan tells Yahoo Entertainment about performing some of Flag Day's scenes with her father either acting opposite her or watching from behind the camera. "I thought it would be really difficult to be that vulnerable and naked, in a sense, in front of 50-something crew members that I didn’t know very well, but I think because I was working with my family, I felt very supported to be able to do that."

Sean had his doubts too, directing her during screaming matches, drug abuse and near-rape: "There are a couple of scenes where being the one to have invited her to tear herself apart and being her father were at odds for me. I felt I should be calling Child Protective Services on myself a few times! But she was so invested and startlingly wonderful, so in terms of being a director dreaming of having a performance to use in a film that way, it was more exciting than depleting."