Sean Penn gets hotel fined

Sean Penn, cigarette in hand, at a news conference during the 31st Toronto International Film Festival. Picture / Reuters

Actor Sean Penn flouted no-smoking laws at the Toronto film festival but a hotel is paying the price.

Penn lit up during a press conference for his film, All the King's Men, at a Toronto hotel, which has been slapped with a fine of C$605 ($815) for allowing him to smoke.

Penn himself is escaping the incident with a slap on the wrist in the form of a sternly worded letter from Toronto public health officials.