But what if he turned out to be a vegetarian? Hopper Penn was almost named “Steak” — thanks to his famous dad, Sean Penn.
Hopper, 22, revealed the amusing tidbit in Interview magazine’s “Ones to Watch” issue. “My dad wanted to name me ‘Steak,’ the food, because he loves it so much,” he said.
The Oscar winner welcomed Hopper with then-wife Robin Wright in 1993. The exes, who ended their 14-year marriage in 2010, are also parents to model daughter Dylan Penn, 25. (In February 2014, the House of Cards actress told The Telegraph that their split was “devastating.”)
Despite his love for red meat, Sean decided to name his son after a revered actor pal instead. “It has to do with Dennis Hopper; my dad was friendly with him and idolized him,” Hopper told Interview of the Easy Ride actor, who died in 2010 at age 74. “What they told me is that I hopped in her stomach, I didn’t kick, so they went with that.”
Although his older sister has graced magazine covers and more, the high school graduate has stayed relatively private over the years. More recently, however, he’s decided to follow in his famous parents’ footsteps and can next be seen in his dad’s film The Last Face. (Penn’s ex-fiancée Charlize Theron stars.)
“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 said, ‘Well, you’ll get paid.’ So I was like, ‘I’m on board.’ After the first day, I fell in love with it,” Hopper recalled. “My dad is a really good actor, and there are a lot of sh–ty actors, and I definitely think I’m one of them.”
