Celebrity News February 17, 2010
Sean Penn: We Need to Beat the Rain in Haiti
Oscar winner Sean Penn talks to "Extra" about another big problem about to hit earthquake stricken Haiti -- rain.
"Raincover is virtually non-existent for approximately 750,000 people in Port Au Prince alone," Penn tells "Extra's" Mario Lopez, "There's not going to be anybody to treat with these medicines if we don't relocate hundreds of thousands of people in the next two weeks."
Penn wants to make it clear that the rain will be disastrous and diseases will spread "on a scale we've never seen."
The actor's Jenkins-Penn Haitian Relief Organization donated medicine, medical treatment and services to Haiti.
Penn encourages Americans to donate any amount to the organization because it proves our efforts as a unified country offering support to our neighboring countries. "This is the greatest opportunity the United States has had to respond with what's best about the heart of this country," Penn tells "Extra's" Mario Lopez.
Penn explains the treatment as "Civil War medicine." The humanitarian saw, firsthand, body parts being removed without anesthetics and with whatever tools were available at the moment. He said, "I saw a young child not even flinch during an amputation."
There are rumors about Penn working on the upcoming "Three Stooges" flick. He says, "It keeps bouncing around. I'm not in a very funny state of mind right now."
He's politically active and passionate about raising awareness for causes, but Penn says he doesn't see himself leaving acting for politics. Penn reveals, "I don't think I'd ever run for political office, but I do think that all of us involved in this kind of activity have to really find more effective ways to support policies we believe in and to challenge the ones we don't."
Log onto beattherain.org to donate and learn more about how to help.
See photos of other stars who give back!