Sean Penn says ‘timid and artless policy toward the human imagination’ means he can no longer play gay roles

‘A time of tremendous overreach’ … Sean Penn. Photograph: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Sean Penn says it would be currently impossible for him to play the part of a gay man, as he did in the 2008 film Milk, blaming a “timid and artless” current creative climate.

Penn was speaking to the New York Times about his earlier career, and responded to a question asking him if he would now be able to play Harvey Milk, the role for which Penn won a best actor Oscar. Saying that Milk “was the last time I had a good time [on a film set]”, Penn added: “It could not happen in a time like this. It’s a time of tremendous overreach. It’s a timid and artless policy toward the human imagination.”