Sean Penn in Venezuela
Sean Penn has supported the now ailing Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez since he was first elected in 1999, earning him the description of "communist a--hole" from one of his co-stars and the ire of more than a few Americans.
Chávez may have called former president George W. Bush "the devil" and claimed that the United States gave him cancer, but that didn't stop Penn from recently describing him as "one of the most important forces we've had on this planet." The actor has said that anyone who calls Chávez a dictator should be thrown in jail, and declared that the only reason Americans view him as such is because they have been "hypnotized" by the mainstream media. Before the Venezuelan president was hospitalized again, Penn could be found fist-bumping his friend at a campaign rally last August.
The Hollywood icon has made waves elsewhere in Latin America as well. He recently jumped into the contentious debate between Britain and Argentina over the Falkland Islands, known locally as the Malvinas. He accused Britain of having a "ludicrous and archaic commitment to colonialist ideology" during a meeting with Argentinean President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, then promptly said that "true dialogue" was the only way the two countries could solve the problem.
But Penn's international work hasn't always involved stepping on someone's toes. He is also "ambassador at large" in Haiti, where he founded the J/P Haitian Relief Organization after the earthquake there in 2010. The charity does everything from remove rubble to supply Haitians with medical supplies.
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