‘Pay the f*** up!’ Sean Penn turns the air blue in Cannes with expletive-ridden plea at Haiti Relief benefit

By Baz Bamigboye In Cannes

It was the most lavish party in Cannes, with tickets going for a whopping $7,500 a pop.

But Sean Penn didn’t let the prestigious tone of the Haiti: Carnival In Cannes gala stop him from turning the air blue with some carefully chosen words during a speech on behalf of his Haitian Relief Organisation.

The actor stunned guests including Ewan McGregor, Gerard Butler, Diane Kruger and Jessica Chastain with his expletive-ridden speech, which he confessed was made ‘under the influence of vodka.’

'Under the influence of vodka': Sean Penn turned the air blue in Cannes on Friday night with an expletive-ridden speech at his Haiti Relief benefit‘Under the influence of vodka’: Sean Penn turned the air blue in Cannes on Friday night with an expletive-ridden speech at his Haiti Relief benefit

Penn, 51, made a rambling delivery, jokingly questioning why some of the A-list guests were at the charity gala’when you have people to f***’ at other parties.

He then praised fellow Haiti fund raiser Paul Haggis, ‘even though he was a Canadian whose parents included a man, a woman and a tree.’

He added: ‘F*** ’em if people say you’re just writing a cheque, but you’re making a change’.

Passionate: The actor, pictured with Roberta Armani, Giorgio Armani and Petra Nemcova, made a speech urging guests to pay the f*** up' at the Haiti Carnaval in CannesPassionate: The actor, pictured with Roberta Armani, Giorgio Armani and Petra Nemcova, made a speech urging guests to pay the f*** up’ at the Haiti: Carnival in Cannes

He continued that Haiti should be helped because it was just an hour away from ‘the richest f***ing country in the world’.

Penn may have had a tipple or two, or three, but he was impassioned about supporting the people of Haiti although he said people had to ‘fight the f*** out of politics’ to get things done.

The rant continued when he demanded that guests bid for auction items.

‘I want you to stay here and listen to the auction and beat the s*** out of each other to purchase them.’

Charitable: Sean poses on the red carpet with Giorgio Armani, who bankrolled the event, and Petra Nemcova and Paul Haggis, who co-hostedCharitable: Sean poses on the red carpet with Giorgio Armani, who bankrolled the event, and Petra Nemcova and Paul Haggis, who co-hosted

The actor , who wore glasses as he made his speech, continued his blue streak.

He instructed women: ‘Tell the man next to you, “I’m not going to f*** you tonight unless you pay the f*** up.’

None of the guests appeared offended by the tirade, which had many an A-lister in fits of laughter.

Some felt his spicey language gave the evening some electricity.

From Madagascar to Haiti: Jessica Chastain and Ben Stiller made their way from their film screening to the event
From Madagascar to Haiti: Jessica Chastain and Ben Stiller made their way from their film screening to the event

From Madagascar to Haiti: Jessica Chastain and Ben Stiller made their way from their film screening to the event

The gala’s auctioneer, Christie’s international director Hugh Edmeades, commented with a touch of British understatement: ‘ He’s very passionate about Haiti, isn’t he?’

Penn attended the event with his girlfriend, model Petra Nemcova, who looked stunning in a silver gown. The gala was held in association with Paul Haggis’ Artists For Peace and Justice and Petra’s Happy Hearts Fund.

Giorgio Armani bank-rolled the event which included a performance by Lyle Lovett.

Star-studded: Virginie Ledoyen, Joshua Jackson and Diane Kruger were among the A-listers inside the glittering galaStar-studded: Virginie Ledoyen, Joshua Jackson and Diane Kruger were among the A-listers inside the glittering gala

Ben Stiller and Jessica Chastain hot-footed it from their Madagascar 3 film screening to attend the star-studded party.

Despite the luxurious surroundings, most of the A-listers, including Ewan McGregor and Jean-Paul Gaultier were happiest sneaking a cigarette out the back by the portable loos.

‘You’re not allowed to smoke inside’, noted McGregor as he stubbed out his cigarette and made his way back inside.

Penn threw himself into relief efforts in Haiti following the devastating 2010 earthquake.

Do-gooders: The hosts attended a photocall to promote the event earlier in the dayDo-gooders: The hosts attended a photocall to promote the event earlier in the day

The Oscar- winning actor has traveled constantly to Haiti and said that 450,000 people were still homeless in Haiti. ‘But at least that’s down from 1.8 million homeless .Enormous progress has been made with re-building the country’s infrastructure but people are living in tents on dirt floors , without water and cholera is spiking’, Penn said Friday.

But he said Haitians were ‘full of hope’ and that schools were being built and that one of the most exciting sights. Was watching children preparing to head off to school.

Penn called on President Barak Obama to do ‘whatever he can to help Haiti get back on its feet.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars were raised by auctioning items such as going backstage to meet Bono, and special sporting packages for the London Olympics.

Relief: Penn threw himself into relief efforts in Haiti following the devastating 2010 earthquakeRelief: Penn threw himself into relief efforts in Haiti following the devastating 2010 earthquake

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2 thoughts on “‘Pay the f*** up!’ Sean Penn turns the air blue in Cannes with expletive-ridden plea at Haiti Relief benefit

  1. Mr. Bill Drayton, CEO of ASHOKA (see http://www.devex.com) posted his view on the world’s need for a new approach to sustaineable developement.
    In my personal view of Haiti, and in support of Mr Penn’s efforts, may I leave some text for thought that may provoke vision and action.
    ——————————————————————–
    Mr. Drayton expresses some very old and grinding concerns and needs of almost perpetual conditions around the planet in a variety of territories and economies. My experience, or if I may “expertise” is limited to Haiti. However the “Haitian condition” is perhaps one of the better examples of a 500 year effect. Starting with the entrance of the Europeans, the decimation of island’s native peoples, then followed with the forced re-population of Hispanola by the peoples of Africa of varied and different ethnic, cultural, political and food-getting backgrounds, the island became the focal point of early days corporate greed. Then came the political-cultural revulsion (to the white world) that the upstart inhabitants of St. Domingue/Hayti actually over-threw their French Proprietor culminating with the Declaration of Independence of Jan 1st (and 4th), 1804. At this date, the new Haitian rulers and administrators simply took over an already negative situation that would be further damaged by the U.S. imposed embargo combined with indemnity payments to the French. Voila! Then Haiti needed jobs, taxes, food production, and trade, not forgetting an educational system that would preserve the country’s natural resources such as what little was left (by the Euro & America) of the timber, gold, and other exchangeable goods. Another source, the “Slave-Trade” that was also then (prior to 1804) a source of some revenue to the island from the customers to north was immediately & permanently interrupted.
    The Americans of that time only wanted Haiti to fail. Lincoln included.
    So here we are today, 208 years later with even more pronounced needs for jobs and environmental repair in Haiti.
    Who/what has reaped the benefits of Haiti’s exploited profits since 1500A.D.? Europe and North America in the larger sense. Partnerships that did not hold profits to the territory. Billions of Gourdes/dollars exported to the benefit of overseas economies.
    The earthquake of Jan 2010 only served to point out, to expose the fragility of that which has been achieved by
    Haitians and their “lending” sources since 1804.( It’s sort of like having to repair your own home, and pay for the repairs, after some crazy foreigner destroyed it by running a bulldozer over the structure and taking away of anything found of value.)
    Yes, corruption has been complicent in the failure of the State’s ability to govern and build an economy while budgeting government to match with revenues achieved from the territory. Years ago, and well after the financial damage had already been set in place by the money mongers of abroad, the WB and ADB, and IMF gave Haitians a credit card that could not be paid off. The lending authorities perhaps corrected a situation of the day, but did not establish far-reaching and positive effectual policies that would in time dig-out Haiti’s economy. And over time, has the northern power protected Haiti’s monetary resources and reserves? Take a look yourself! Research the period 1915-33 and more recently, 1986-89, and 1993-96.
    Have jobs become plentiful enough to engage even 80% of Haiti’s work-force? NO !
    Has education kept abreast of the population’s needs over the past two hundred years? NO !
    Have the natural resources of Haiti been protected and managed for the benefit of Haitians? NO !
    When comparing the distribution of Haiti’s forests (1804 until today) when was the larger part of the environmental damage brought into play by the practices of that time and forward?
    And, as only one example, the monetary refund of indemnities paid to France received in Haiti, where did these funds end up circa 1996-97? Who co-operated?
    So, as Mr. Drayton points out; and as many hundreds of us have recognized since more than a half-century ago, there is an irreparable threat in these “third-world” economies, and especially in Haiti. Too much, including “home-grown brains” has been taken away during the recent two centuries!
    The other excuse: “sovereignty rules”. (But never rules alone, and not without the cooperation from abroad.)
    Haiti is “all of us” under the microscope. Painful to look at, and even more painful to acknowledge.
    The “fault” of Haiti; one is seismic, the other is foreign complacency in the negative manipulation of the Haitian destiny.
    And we expect one new President to arrange all of this in order?
    Is Haiti the U.N’s failure? Or, is Haiti a warning to all nations that international cooperation must be long-range focused for the betterment of recipient peoples.
    Talk is cheap, action is tough, admitting to the truth is painful, but answering the need on a not-for-profit and regulated basis might even be more of challenge. It’s up to the world. The past is not the model, and the future is today not yet ten years of age.

  2. Bravo brokenreef, for setting forth, America’s history of shameful meddlings in Haiti. I love the irony, the systematic destruction of the place followed by a systematic
    neo-imperialism by sending in thousands of NGOs

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