Actor and director Sean Penn rescued Variety’s Marc Malkin, the pre-show host of the Golden Globes, after he was left stranded with an electric car that wouldn’t charge Friday night.
Penn ran into Malkin when he was left stranded on the way to Los Angeles from the Palm Springs Film Festival, according to Page Six. Malkin’s electric car ran out of juice and needed a recharge, so he called a tow truck to get him to a charging station in Cabazon, California, according to a source close to the situation. Unfortunately, he ran into even more trouble when it failed to charge properly and he was officially stranded. That’s when Penn swooped in for the rescue.
Carey Mulligan and Variety’s @MarcMalkin duet on the #GoldenGlobes carpet. https://t.co/AXpLsuNpi8 pic.twitter.com/2fZabPOUQ4
— Variety (@Variety) January 8, 2024
“Marc looked to one side, and Sean Penn was charging his car — and he looked to his other side and saw Mara Buxbaum (Penn’s longtime publicist) charging her car,” the source told Page Six.
Penn and Buxbaum were surprised to see Malkin stranded at the charging station.
“All of a sudden, they saw a little flatbed tow truck with a car on it. They all forgot to charge overnight,” the source said.
However, Penn and Buxbaum were able to charge up their cars, while Malkin’s refuse to accept the charge and remained inoperable. He phoned the charging company for help but was told the car may not accept the charge if the battery was completely drained. The only other option was to move the vehicle to a different type of charger, which was located nearby, according to Page Six.
Sean Penn comes to the aid of reporter Marc Malkin after journalist suffered car trouble ahead of Golden Globes hosting gig https://t.co/C0dyqQvJzk pic.twitter.com/5inqVM2hTg
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) January 7, 2024
Without missing a beat, the legendary Penn and Buxbaum saved the day.
“Mara came up to him and asked if he needed his car pushed,” the source told Page Six.
“She said, ‘You need someone to push your car?'” Before Malkin could respond, Penn was behind his vehicle giving his car a push.
It’s not often an Oscar winner and Hollywood executive roll up their sleeves to help a friend in need.
“It was the funniest thing ever,” the source told Page Six. (RELATED: ‘I Want Your Daughter’: AI Was Creepy Enough Already, But Sean Penn Just Made It A Billion Times Creepier)
“Sean was a real-life hero.”
Malkin made it back in time to get the Golden Globes pre-party circuit going, thanks to the help of his very famous friends.