Brolin, Hirsch And Franco Join Penn In Milk

By Katey Rich: 2007-12-05 07:16:42

A little while ago there was a brewing rivalry between directors Gus Van Sant and Bryan Singer, as each filmmaker was rushing to get their own biopics about the same man off the ground. Thanks to the writers’ strike, it’s Gus Van Sant’s Milk that has gone into production first, telling the story of the late San Francisco politician Harvey Milk.

Two weeks ago Sean Penn joined the cast in the titular role, and now Variety reports that Josh Brolin is eyeing the role of the film’s villain, Dan White, a fellow politician who assassinated Milk in 1978. (Pictured at right is the real Dan White). The Hollywood Reporter has also announced that Emile Hirsch and James Franco will be joining the cast, with Hirsch as Milk’s political ally Cleve Jones and Franco as Milk’s lover and campaign manager Scott Smith.

Harvey Milk’s story isn’t your average political saga: he was one of the nation’s first openly gay elected officials,and the first in a major city. He became a gay rights figurehead in the last few years before AIDS completely transformed the gay community, and even defeated a proposition that would have banned gays and lesbians from teaching in the state of California.

White, a member of the Board of Supervisors along with Milk, resigned in protest against several city policies, but returned a few days later to protest the man chosen as his successor. He shot San Francisco Mayor George Moscone, and then walked down the hall to shoot Milk as well. Milk was immediately seen as a martyr to the gay rights movement, and when White was sentenced only to voluntary manslaughter instead of murder, the event sparked riots in San Francisco.

There isn’t a story much better than Milk’s, and all four cast members are smart to have jumped onto such a fascinating project. Hirsch, at 22, seems a bit young to play a politician, but we’ve all seen how good he is working with Sean Penn in Into the Wild. Brolin’s choice though, is especially well-timed: the former Goonies star is finally being taken seriously after three great performances this fall (including No Country for Old Men’s unforgettable Llewellyn Moss), and may even have an Oscar in his future. A year ago adding Josh Brolin to a cast would have instantly labeled this a forgettable movie, but now it means even more prestige. Nice work, Brolin.

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