Sean Penn plays Harvey Milk in the film "Milk," a biopic about the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. Milk served 11 months as a San Francisco city supervisor before he was assassinated, along with San Francisco Mayor George Moscone, Nov. 27, 1978, by rival politician Dan White. The film, released Nov. 26, has been well-received. James Franco plays Milk's partner Scot Smith in the film. ''For actors of my generation, Sean is considered the best,'' says Franco. In the January 2009 edition of Elle magazine, Franco says that he was a little caught off-guard by the sex scenes in the film, saying the script was changed from a kiss to a full-on love scene. When Franco questioned director Gus Van Sant about the change, he responded, "Well, it was Sean's idea."
(Focus Features)