Sean Penn has revealed that he watches propaganda beheading videos published by ISIS out of a sense of moral responsibility . The actor said he chooses to bear witness to the gruesome clips , in which Americans , Britons and Kurds have been graphically slaughtered , because 'real violence ' is often hidden from us . Speaking to the Daily Telegraph , he said : 'The problem is we are not seeing enough of real violence . We are being anesthetized when you do n't see the horror of war . ' 'Real violence ' : Sean Penn , pictured left in his new film The Gunman , said he watches ISIS 's propaganda videos showing hostages like James Foley , right , being beheaded . When asked whether he felt morally obliged to view the clips , he replied that he did . Penn said that the graphic reality of the murder videos counteracts 'political correctness ' , which has led upsetting images from conflict such as that in Iraq and Afghanistan from being kept off-screen . He also mentioned the ISIS clips in relation to his own new movie , The Gunman , which will feature graphic violence . Penn said that staged violence in movies and the real violence such as that being perpetrated in Iraq and Syria are not the same thing . Violence in movies : Penn made a point of differentiating fictional violence , like that in his new film , above , from real-life acts by the likes of ISIS . He said : 'Anyone who sees them [ ISIS videos ] and claims that they were anaesthetised by violent movies , that they were n't horrified by what they saw , on the most primal level , is intellectually dishonest or existentially unpresent . ' Penn has voice his opinions about ISIS before - earlier this week he told Conan O'Brien that the terrorist organization was 'created ' by George W Bush and Dick Cheney . Beginning with former Vice President Cheney , whom he called 'an embittered bacteria [ sic ] of humanity ' , he said : 'These are the guys , he and President Bush and some others , who invented Daesh , or ISIS . ' The video ends with three ISIS fighters pulling out their knives and beheading their prisoner . Close up shots of the bloodied bodies are shown . He sarcastically added 'thanks for that ' . Meanwhile ISIS continues to produce and distribute sickening videos of its barbaric executions . Its warped criminal justice system has given rise to footage of people thrown off buildings for being homosexual , and having hands amputated for other crimes . On Friday its latest beheading video was released , showing the killing of three Kurdish soldiers who had been taken prisoner .
Actor advocates watches videos because people are 'anesthetized ' Said graphic murder videos from Afghanistan counteract 'political correctness '