Banned from Russia, welcome in Australia: Sean Penn to star in new local comedy

They say when one border closes, another one opens – and while Hollywood star Sean Penn might’ve recently been banned from entering Russia, it seems he is always welcome in Australia.

The two-time Academy Award-winner has signed on to star in a new Stan* Original comedy called C*A*U*G*H*T, which is created, written and directed by Australian actor Kick Gurry.

Hollywood actor and producer Sean Penn will begin filming a new Stan series in Sydney later this year.Credit: AP

The satirical comedy follows four Australian soldiers sent to an unnamed war-torn country on a secret mission. Mistaken for Americans, they are captured by freedom fighters and produce a hostage video that goes viral.

“They become a bit drunk on how obsessed the world is with them and their story, but then they start to lose themselves, and these guys have to fight for their identities,” explains Gurry.

With new-found celebrity comes a series of unexpected challenges and, before long, the soldiers learn that being famous is both a blessing and a curse. The subject was wonderfully meta for Penn, with the 62-year-old actor set to play a fictionalised version of himself while doubling as executive producer.

“Sean really believes in it and wants it to be a great commentary on the celebrity world he’s lived in for 40 years,” says 44-year-old Gurry.

Penn’s involvement in the project comes after he and Gurry were spotted celebrating New Year’s Eve together in Sydney last year, alongside Penn’s now ex-wife Leila George. George is the daughter of actors Vincent D’Onofrio and Greta Scacchi, the latter of whom is a long-time friend of Gurry.

Sean Penn spent NYE with Kick Gurry (left) and ex-wife Leila George.

“Through a series of extremely fortunate events, I got the chance to be in Sean’s orbit for a while. He and I started chatting about this idea, so I made a 10-minute teaser which I showed him, and straight away, he said, ‘I love this; it’s perfectly inappropriate’.”

The six-episode series is currently in production in Sydney and will stream on Stan in 2023. The shifting landscape of fame is a topic that has long fascinated Gurry, but it took a nudge from one-time co-star, the late Bill Paxton, to turn that fascination into a finished product.

“Bill kept saying to me, ‘You got to tell your story, the thing that you know better than anyone,’ and in my 25-year career, I’ve seen it all: long periods of unemployment followed by eight months shooting with someone like Tom Cruise [on Edge of Tomorrow],” says Gurry.

“You don’t get more famous than Tom Cruise, and witnessing how the world reacts to him and how processes around him work blew my mind. That was peak obsession with fame, but social media has sent that obsession into overdrive.”

Gurry rose to fame in 2000 with a breakout role opposite Pia Miranda in Kate Woods’ AFI award-winning film, Looking for Alibrandi. He trod the well-worn path of heading to Los Angeles, and while success followed – acting opposite the likes of Brad Pitt, Susan Sarandon and Brendan Gleeson – it’s been a slow burn.

“When I started acting, I knew it was a long journey, I wanted to learn, evolve and become better, but I knew it was a commitment,” says Gurry. “Of course, there were people that exploded, but everyone else was in it for the long haul. You meet people these days, and they just want to be famous; they’ll have this viral moment of ridiculousness and turn it into a career, so I wanted to explore what that says about us.”

Ironically, one of the upsides to knowing famous people is that you can tap them on the shoulder to star in your show about the trappings of fame.

C*A*U*G*H*T boasts an all-star cast including Bryan Brown, Rebecca Breeds, Bella Heathcote, Lincoln Younes, Ben O’Toole, Alexander England and Lost actor Matthew Fox.

Gurry is the writer, director and creator of new Stan Original series, C*A*U*G*HT*.Credit: Stan

“Everyone makes that promise in our industry, ‘Oh yeah, if you ever make anything, I’ll be in it,’ and those comments are sort of real in the moment, but you probably had eight beers, so you never know if it’ll pan out,” laughs Gurry.

“But I wrote roles for friends that I love and respect, and they’ve all just shown up in a big way, so we’re having a great time, making an Australian show with an incredible Australian crew.”

Oh, and Sean Penn.

*Nine is the owner of Stan, 9Now and this masthead.

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