Actor and director Sean Penn rescued Variety's Mark Malkin, the Golden Globes pre-show host, on Friday night when he was stranded in an electric car that wouldn't charge.
According to , Penn met Malkin, who was stranded on his way to Los Angeles from the Palm Springs Film Festival. Page 6. A person close to the situation said Malkin's electric car ran out of power and needed to be charged, so a tow truck was called to take him to a charging station in Cabazon, California. Unfortunately, he was unable to charge properly and ran into more trouble, officially leaving him stranded. That's when Penn came to the rescue.
Carey Mulligan and Variety @Mark Malkin duet in #Golden Globe carpet. https://t.co/AXpLsuNpi8 pic.twitter.com/2fZabPOUQ4
— Variety (@Variety) January 8, 2024
“Mark looked to one side and saw Sean Penn charging the car. Then he looked to the other side and saw Mara Buxbaum (Penn's longtime publicist) charging the car.” a source told Page Six.
Penn and Bucksbaum were surprised to find Malkin stuck at the charging station.
“Suddenly they saw a small flatbed tow truck with cars on it. They had all forgotten to charge it overnight,” the source said.
However, while Penn and Bucksbaum were able to charge the car, Malkin refused to charge it, leaving it undriveable. He called the charging company for help, but was told that if the battery was completely depleted, the car might not accept a charge. According to Page Six, the only other option was to move the vehicle to another type of charger nearby.
Sean Penn comes to Marc Malkin's aid after journalist has car trouble before Golden Globes performance https://t.co/C0dyqQvJzk pic.twitter.com/5inqVM2hTg
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) January 7, 2024
The legendary Penn and Bucksbaum saved the day without missing a beat.
“Mara came up to him and asked if he needed his car pushed,” a source told Page Six.
“She said, 'Do you need someone to push your car?'” Before Malkin could answer, Penn was behind the car pushing it.
It's not often that Oscar winners or Hollywood executives roll up their sleeves to help a friend in need.
“It was the funniest thing ever,” a source told Page Six. (Related: 'I want your daughter': AI was already creepy enough, but Sean Penn made it a billion times more creepy)
“Sean was a real-life hero.”
Malkin made it in time to hit the Golden Globes pre-party circuit thanks to the help of some very famous friends.
