Sean Penn is leading a Fast Times at Ridgemont High virtual table reading for charity. The event, which takes place on August 20th, was put together by comedian Dane Cook to benefit Penn’s relief non-profit organization CORE.
Along with Cook and Penn, Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, Matthew McConaughey, Morgan Freeman, Henry Golding, Shia LaBeouf, and more will be taking on the iconic 1980s movie, though don’t expect Penn to be playing Spicoli. The actor notes that he is “very confident in the new guy.”
In addition to CORE, the Fast Times at Ridgemont High table read will also benefit REFORM Alliance. The reading comes on the 38th anniversary of the 1982 teen comedy from director Amy Heckerling. “I’m honored that so many talented, wonderful people are willing to get together to celebrate our movie, and to create their own special version of it,” said Heckerling. “And I’m a huge fan of Sean. He has such a big heart and I fully support CORE and all of his causes.” This will certainly be a different take on the iconic comedy with new actors taking on the different roles.
Amy Heckerling and Cameron Crowe will be making a special introduction for the Fast Times at Ridgemont High table read. At this time, it is unclear which actors will be taking on the different roles from the movie, but we don’t have to wait too much longer to find out. Sean Penn won’t be Spicoli, though there has been some speculation that he might be playing Mr. Hand this time around. Crowe had this to say about the upcoming table read.
“Sean brought magic to us on day one, and he is still bringing that magic to the world. We are so excited to be a part of this 2020 take on Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Thank you to this cast, and to Sean, for always honoring the best things in life, love and creativity. It is, as a great man once said, totally awesome.”
Sean Penn previously teased the Fast Times at Ridgemont High table read earlier this summer with Jimmy Kimmel and Howard Stern. The actor and humanitarian is trying to work on the public health crisis with CORE that is currently effecting the whole world by trying to provide better testing and more testing to communities that need it the most. Plus, Penn says he’s happy to provide some laughs. He explains.
“On behalf of our dedicated team at CORE, I’m so appreciative of the support Dane has given and continues to give to our work. I’m always game for a giggle. So, to gather remotely for a night of laughs with so many talented folks while providing CORE with much-needed resources to continue our vital work, then consider us fully onboard to play!”
The Fast Times at Ridgemont High event will take place on August 20th at 9pm ET/6pm PT on CORE’s official Facebook page and TikTok. Executive produced by Cook and Ivan Dudynsky, Feelin’ A-Live, a virtual live table read of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, is presented in association with Deviants Media Inc. and JWP. You can check out the teaser for the event below, thanks to the CORE Facebook page.
