'Good Will Hunting' director Gus Van Sant's long-in-the-works 'Milk' biopic starring Sean Penn is finally here, and ET's with ensemble cast members Josh Brolin, James Franco, Emile Hirsch and Alison Pill to talk about the first openly gay man to be voted into public office in America -- and how the period film mirrors contemporary political struggles happening now!

"I voted no on 8," says Franco of the California proposition that recently passed making same-sex marriage illegal, "and in our movie Harvey Milk fights a somewhat similar proposition -- Proposition 6, which would have barred gay teachers from teaching in schools. I think we have come a long way in 30 years, but Proposition 8 shows that we're not all the way there yet."

"I think that it's unfortunate that it passed," says Hirsch. "I think it would be kind of weird to make a movie about Harvey Milk and want Proposition 8 to pass. I think the protestors should do what they're doing and I think people are ready for this movie to come out. I think people are fired up for Milk's message to come right now."

With Penn as Milk, who was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977, the film charts the last eight years of the politician's colorful life after he relocated to the Castro neighborhood and became personally involved with the fight against injustice.

Armed with tenacity and a solid group of friends and supporters behind him, the larger-than-life Milk fought for equal rights until he was tragically gunned down along with the Mayor of San Francisco by fellow supervisor Dan White.

Of working with Penn, Franco says, "He's just one of the best actors that's ever lived. He's been doing it for 20-plus years; some people might get complacent, but he's still so dedicated, from everything from the look to how the character sounds. Everything. That's just an inspiration to me."

"He's very intelligent and very mischievous," says Hirsch of Penn, who also directed him in 'Into the Wild.'

'Milk' is in theaters now.