Dylan Penn Has Grown Up Quite A Bit
Dylan Penn was born to be a star. As the only daughter of Mystic River actor Sean Penn and House of Cards actress Robin Wright, talent is probably just coursing through her veins, waiting to emerge at just the right time. But, for the most part, Dylan Frances Penn, who was born in 1991, has kept out of the public eye, sharing her life with only those closest to her ... and her over 46,000 Instagram followers, of course.
Still, she has made a small splash in the great big world of entertainment as a model after she was signed to Premier Model Management in 2014 (via Vogue). Regardless of her modeling work, however, Penn isn't a household name yet, but that may just be because she's only getting started. Keep reading to learn all about Dylan Penn — and to see what she's up to now that she's all grown up.
College dropout
Dylan Penn started her career off in New York, where she interned at an ad agency. Unfortunately, she soon realized that she didn't care about advertising as much as she once thought she did. "It was after the second month of meetings of deciding which rose to use in the Dior perfume campaign, which was going to be set next to Natalie Portman for Miss Dior," she told The Daily Beast about her experience in 2015. "I just didn't give a f***, but everyone was so serious about it."
Dylan's Plan B was moving to Los Angeles to pursue a degree in film, but, after a short stint at the University of Southern California, she ultimately decided that college wasn't for her either, so she did what a lot of young people do: deliver pizzas. "I did that for about seven months," Dylan shared. "I dropped out of USC after a semester, and my parents told me I was financially cut off. So my godfather owns a pizza place in Westwood by UCLA, and offered me a job. And I delivered pizzas."
But don't expect to see Dylan at your door with a pizza pie these days. She's since moved on to other opportunities.
No passion for fashion
Like the offspring of many celebrities, Dylan eventually found her way into modeling. But unlike, say, actors Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna's daughters Delilah and Amelia, Dylan seems to view her modeling gigs as simply a means to an end. "Modeling is not a passion of mine," Dylan admitted in a 2014 interview with Elle. "I have been having fun with it, but it's just to pay the bills."
So, if modeling is just a way to earn some quick cash for Dylan, what does she actually want to do? Well, according to her, she'd much rather be working behind the scenes on a TV or movie set than posing for the camera. "Writing, directing ... anything behind the camera is what I want to do," she said.
She's even started working on her very own projects. In that same Elle interview, Dylan shared that she'd started working on a screenplay about a family with "f***ed-up relationships." Hmm... maybe she can write the film and her parents can bring her words to life. That'd be one interesting family project!
A model sibling
Though Dylan Penn seems ambivalent about modeling, the fashion world has most certainly taken an interest in her — and in her little brother, Hopper Penn. In January 2016, Dylan and Hopper embarked on their first joint fashion campaign. According to E! News, the ridiculously good-looking siblings walked the runway together for fashion brand Fay during Milan Fashion Week. And, as if that weren't enough, the two also served as the faces of Fay's spring/summer campaign. Doesn't sound like a bad gig to get.
And, as the Daily Mail noted, Dylan and Hopper looked like "the spitting image of parents Sean Penn and Robin Wright" in their photos promoting Fay's collection. No wonder they were asked to model for the brand!
Considering how Dylan had already modeled for the likes of ASOS and Gap at that time, we'd bet that Hopper was glad to have an experienced model show him the ropes on set.
She's lukewarm about acting ... or maybe lukewarm at acting
Although Dylan grew up with two renowned thespians as parents, she hadn't done much acting until she reached adulthood, and, even then, her roles were few and far between. According to Just Jared, her first professional acting gig came in the form of pop singer Nick Jonas' music video for "Chains," in which she plays his love interest. In the video, the two on-screen lovers slow-motion battle their way through a riot in a failed attempt to be together ... we think. It's not the stuff Oscars are made of, but hey, everyone has to start somewhere.
Dylan's first big screen role, however, was in the 2015 horror flick Condemned, in which she played a runaway who shacks up with her boyfriend in an apartment full of drug addicts. Trouble ensues when everyone gets locked inside the building and a freaky virus breaks out. Ruh-roh.
Unfortunately for all involved, critics weren't big fans of the film. Variety said the "proudly repulsive pic often feels like a student filmmaker's audition reel" with a "paper-thin plot." Yikes!
Did she have a fling with Robert Pattinson?
Dylan Penn may have had a thing with a certain sparkly vampire. In November 2013, E! News reported that Dylan and Twilight actor Robert Pattinson were seen together in Los Angeles. And though they were reportedly with friends, rumors soon spread that the two were quickly becoming an item. However, Dylan put an end the gossip in a December 2013 interview with GQ.
"We're talking about Rob here?" she asked after being questioned about the "attention" she'd been receiving by the media at that time. "That's been very foreign to me. But actually kind of funny, because it's all bulls**t."
While we'd like to take her word for it, we're not so sure she'd tell us the truth if they were ever together. But regardless, the pair of celebs likely aren't romantically involved anymore, as Pattinson has moved on to relationships with the likes of singer FKA twigs and model Suki Waterhouse.
As for Dylan, well, she allegedly had another top entertainer in her sights...
Dylan knows the (One) Direction to Harry Styles' heart
At one point in time, "Sign of the Times" singer Harry Styles may have had a big ol' crush on Dylan Penn. Back in August 2015, the former One Direction member was said to have been drooling over Sean Penn's daughter, who is two years his senior. "Harry likes her," a source told Us Weekly at the time (via Hollywood Life). Given Styles' penchant for dating older women (who could forget his short-lived romance with pop star Taylor Swift?), we'd say their age difference was definitely not a problem.
And the feeling was apparently mutual, as the same insider told the magazine that Dylan "thinks he's really cute" too. Dylan and Styles even started following each other on Instagram — a sure-fire way to tell that something was brewing between the two. But alas, nothing ever came of their alleged romance. Still, we'd like to think that Dylan and Styles just kept things private.
What's next for her?
While Dylan Penn may be taking on new acting roles every now and then — she had a small role in 2016's Elvis & Nixon and has starred in several shorts — the Hollywood legacy is still working toward a professional life behind the camera as a writer and director — something her famous parents apparently appreciate. "I think my parents love that I want to do something a little different than what they do," Dylan told Elle magazine in 2014.
However, they might change their tune if any of Dylan's short stories or screenplays ever see the light of day, given as how she draws inspiration from those closest to her. "I have a thing that every time after a family trip or a holiday, I always write either a short story or a short film based on that experience," she told Just Jared.
Only time will tell if we'll ever get some juicy gossip about the A-list Penn family from Dylan herself, but we'll be keeping our fingers crossed!