In November 2008 , Penn earned positive reviews for his portrayal of real-life gay-rights icon and politician Harvey Milk in the biopic '' Milk '' ( 2008 ) , and was nominated for best actor for the 2008 Independent Spirit Awards . The film also earned Penn his fifth nomination and second win for the Academy Award for Best Actor . Penn starred as Joseph C. Wilson in '' Fair Game '' ( 2010 ) , a film adaptation of Valerie Plame 's 2007 memoir . He co-starred in the drama '' The Tree of Life '' ( 2011 ) , which won the Palme d'Or at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival . In 2015 , Penn starred in '' The Gunman '' , a French-American action thriller based on the novel '' The Prone Gunman '' , by Jean-Patrick Manchette . Jasmine Trinca , Idris Elba , Ray Winstone , Mark Rylance and fellow Oscar-winner Javier Bardem appear in supporting roles . Penn plays Jim Terrier , a sniper on a mercenary assassination team who kills the minister of mines of the Congo
2011 Cannes Film Festival
2011 Cannes Film Festival
Sean Penn