Sean Penn makes new group of 'Friends'

Sean "I Hate Hollywood" Penn may have had a change of heart. The fiercely independent actor - who, when he's not threatening to quit acting, regularly trashes mainstream Hollywood - is reportedly ready to make some new Friends.

He's signed on for a recurring role in the sitcom, the trade paper Daily Variety reports, playing the boyfriend of Ursula, the twin sister of Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow).

Penn was supposed to be on the set last week (production has been temporarily halted because of the terrorist attacks).

There is no official word on when his episodes will air, although the best bet is during the November ratings period in America.

The casting news is one of those Hollywood head-scratchers. Penn's disdain for formulaic entertainment and the industry machine is so great that he refuses to attend the Oscars, even the two times he's been nominated.

He frequently sounds off in interviews about actors selling out - even ripping into former pal Nicolas Cage for giving up on indie films in favour of blockbuster movies. "As damaged as I am, as reckless as I've been, I never murdered my own 'voice.' I think actors [dump] on their profession all the time," he told Newsweek in 1999.

The remark caused a huge rift between the two actors, who had been buddies since their Fast Times in Ridgemont High days.

While Penn, aged 41, is better known for intense drama these days, he did get his start in that high school movie. And despite his grousing, he's no stranger to sitcoms, having gone for giggles playing himself in Ellen and The Larry Sanders Show.

Friends is obviously hoping for a spark from Penn's presence. Although the show is NBC's second-highest rated comedy (behind Frasier) and still one of the top-ranked shows on the tube, its ratings have been hurt by head-to-head competition from CBS' Survivor.

The Penn stunt is seen as an attempt to staunch the bleeding ratings figures, while adding to the star-studded list of guest actors on the show. Over the past seven seasons, Billy Crystal, Julia Roberts, Winona Ryder, Susan Sarandon, Robin Williams and Bruce Willis have all made appearances.

The new Friends season kicks off in the US on Thursday, despite one of the ensemble, David Schwimmer, insisting earlier this year that the show had deep-breathed its last.

However, Penn has confirmed his maverick status in Hollywood with the news that producers are forging ahead with The Assassination of Richard Nixon, in which the actor hijacks a plane to crash it into the White House in a bid to kill President Nixon.

The film chronicles the real-life story of Samuel Dyck, who tried to hijack a plane in 1972 but was killed by a SWAT team that stormed the jetliner before it took off.

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