'Milk' Men Premiere Film in Beverly Hills

In the biopic, Sean plays Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be voted into public office in America. Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977, and the film charts the last eight years of the politician's colorful life after he relocated to the Castro neighborhood and became personally involved with the fight against injustice.

"What originally drew me to it was Gus Van Sant ... a wonderful film maker, and I think he's told this story beautifully," Penn tells "The Insider" about choosing to work on the film. "And all of us got very involved with the story once we exposed ourselves to it."

Armed with tenacity and a solid group of friends and supporters behind him, the larger-than-life Milk fought for equal rights until he was tragically gunned down along with the Mayor of San Francisco by fellow supervisor Dan White.

'Milk' opens in theaters December 5.

Published 11/14/08 by