WICKER PARK — Sean Penn popped by Division Street's Phyllis' Musical Inn on Sunday but the impetus for the visit by the Los Angeles-based actor and activist to the storied dive bar could forever be a mystery.
"I think he just popped in. I want to respect his confidentiality," Clem Jaskot Jr., the second-generation owner of Phyllis' Musical Inn, 1800 W. Division St., said early Tuesday.
Though rumors are flying about how Penn ended up in the bar — speculations from those who claimed to have seen him range from Penn having a girlfriend in Chicago, to his ex-girlfriend Charlize Theron filming a movie up the street, to his political activism — the reason might never be publicly revealed.
Jaskot posted a photo of himself with Penn on the bar's Facebook page with this caption: "And then this guy shows up."
In the photo, Penn wears a T-shirt advertising the bar under what looks like a ski jacket, while a smiling Jaskot gives a thumbs up.
"I can't reveal what we talked about. He is a nice man and a very good person, a wonderful individual who enjoyed himself [on Sunday]," Jaskot said.
Phyllis' Musical Inn opened in 1954 as a polka club, according to the Beachwood Reporter.
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