If you love something enough, name your kid after it! That is what Sean Penn had in mind when thinking about names for his only son. During a sit down with Interview Magazine, Hopper Penn shared how his parents settled on his name.
"It has to do with Dennis Hopper; my dad was friendly with him and idolized him," the 22-year-old blossoming actor told the magazine of his first name. "My dad wanted to name me Steak, the food, because he loves it so much."
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Hopper shared if it was up to his father, his name would be steak Photo: Getty Images
While that name would have been high on the list of odd celebrity baby names, Hopper said his mother, Robin Wright shut the idea down. "My mom was never going to go for it. What they told me is that I hopped in her stomach, I didn't kick, so they went with that."
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Sean and Robin were married from 1996-2010. In addition to Hopper, the ex-couple share 25-year-old daughter Dylan Penn.
In addition to Hopper, Sean and Robin have 25-year-old daughter Dylan Photo: Getty Images
Even though Sean lost out on naming his son after the menu item, he did know what was best for him in terms of his career. Hopper explained that he initially wanted to work as a production assistant on his father's film The Last Face, but his dad had other plans. "I asked if I could PA for it. He said, 'No, you're going to act in it.' I said no, because I'm very shy; I didn't know how to act," he shared about the experience that took place two and a half years ago.
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He continued about the chat: "'Well, you'll get paid.' So I was like, 'I'm onboard.' After the first day, I fell in love with it."
Hopper starred in Sean's film The Last Face Photo: Craig McDean
Hopper went on to star in the film with Charlize Theron and Jared Harris and shared a few proud moments with his father while walking the red carpet in May at the Cannes Film Festival. Since he has already been on the big screen, the rising star has his sights on something smaller. "Stage would be my dream," he said. "Not Broadway; I don't want to sing. I'd like to do comedies. I don't know how to get to where I am as weird as I actually am in front of the camera."
As far as living up to his famous parents' acting expectations, Hopper, who will star in the new film War Machine with Brad Pitt, knows he can't match his father's success. "My dad is a really good actor, and there are a lot of s****y actors, and I definitely think I'm one of them."
