Why Sean Penn Says We 'Need' People Like Charlie Kirk in Politics

In an interview with The New York Times, the actor explained why he believes Kirk's death is "different" than other acts of violence, stressing that he thinks we "need" people like the late conservative commentator, who was shot and killed in Orem, Utah, on September 10.

"These fashions of violence; this one seems different. It seems different than the members of Congress. It seems different than the insurance executive," Penn, 65, said. "It seems even different than the attempt on the president. There's something about this one. Charlie Kirk, it seemed to me, though I didn't follow him a lot -- one of these people who certainly I disagree with on almost everything -- truly believed everything that we disagreed on. I didn't get the sense that he was one of these snake oil salesmen."

"I think we need that guy. We need that debate," he continued. "We've gotta fight it out and find a compromise. These things do come into fashion, and the way we kill the fashion of it is people of conscience on both sides recognizing that if somebody really believes something, that’s your friend."

When the journalist suggested that it "depends" on what the person believes, Penn brought up an example, saying, "I'm talking about if somebody believes that a human being starts at conception, if you can't understand that concept, you're just stupid. And if you're not willing to tolerate the concept as a concept that’s held as deeply as I may have a belief that, I don't know, let the woman decide. All of these are valid opinions."

The Oscar winner -- who is promoting his new film One Battle After Another, in which he plays a white supremacist -- shared during an interview with Vanity Fair earlier this week that he was "not surprised" by Kirk's death.

"I was not surprised at all. Like a lot of people, I’ve been worrying that this kind of horror was moving towards coming into fashion," Penn said, adding, "It's disturbing enough that I would say I’m still processing it. And what its implications are."

On September 10, Kirk -- who was a controversial political commentator and strong supporter of President Donald Trump -- had been speaking at a student Q&A at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, when he was fatally shot by a sniper from a nearby building. The shooting occurred when Kirk was debating gun violence. He was 31.

Two days later, 22-year-old Utah man Tyler Robinson was identified as Kirk's alleged shooter.

Robinson was taken into custody at 10 p.m. local time on Thursday night. He was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a weapon causing serious bodily injury, and obstruction of justice; they're all state felony charges, with the aggravated murder count carrying a possible death penalty sentence.