zyplionok | He's not another pretty face

What makes Sean Penn so special? Unlike some young actors, it's not his angelic looks. Penn's is a plain, if appealing, young face — large nose, close-set eyes, small mouth. And though he's played sympathetic characters, he doesn't radiate a nice-guy persona the way Hutton and Dillon frequently do. What Penn does radiate is an almost irresistible intensity, a near-desperate belief in the aspirations of his characters that can be poignant (as in Bad Boys) or hilarious (as in Fast Times).

"Rolling Stone", May 26, 1983