“Milk” stars Sean Penn and Josh Brolin charbroiled each other at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards Monday night, turning the gala into a rip-roaring roast.
Penn started the scorching as he presented Brolin with the evening’s Best Supporting Actor award. “I’m sorry it took until your 40s for you to be recognized,” he quipped to Brolin. “I wrote [Josh] off as I do all square-jawed actors. But bit by bit — as he became older and older — I realized he’s going to become such an asset to the film industry.”
Brolin, still seated at his table, responded with a wide smirk — and a flash of his middle finger. But when he took the stage, the honoree gave what was surely the best acceptance speech of the night. “Quite the actor, that Sean Penn,” the two-time SAG winner nearly whispered into the mic. “He’s not an a—hole … like Russell Crowe.
“We’ve all known Sean as an actor who doesn’t smile very much. Sean, you smiled a lot in this film. You’re going to win an Oscar. Just because you smiled so much.”
To the 40 or so film critics assembled at the Strata gala — along with such industry heavyweights as Penelope Cruz, Harvey Weinstein, Paul Haggis and Tony Kushner — Brolin had some pointed words. “I’ve had the gamut of reviews over the past few years, the worst being from Ben Brantley [chief theater critic of The New York Times]. The critics of NYC have written incredible reviews … except for Ben Brantley’s. F— you, Ben. God, I hate that mother—.”
While “Milk” was the big winner with three awards, “WALL-E” cleaned up in the animated category. Sigourney Weaver, who voiced a spaceship computer, presented Best Animated Film honors to “WALL-E” writer/director Andrew Stanton.
“The last time my evil-science frame of mind came around, I swore I was done,” Weaver said, referencing her “Alien” films. “But then I was approached for ‘WALL-E.’ I’ve been offered bigger parts — I only had 30 lines — but then I met Andrew. And the first thing I told him was, ‘I have so many ideas.’ He listened to each and every one.”
Stanton admitted that making the film — which features characters who usually communicate with body language and robotic sounds — was difficult. “Writing this made me realize I needed to care deeper than the audience did. And if they didn’t have a brain, maybe they’d get one,” he said. “I resigned myself to the fact that I would have to speak to the minority of the audience, which isn’t the way Pixar films usually have been made.”
(source)
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