Actor Sean Penn has said he believes that Americans should be forced to have a COVID vaccine by law. 

He compared vaccine mandates to setting speed limits in an effort to prevent reckless driving, and insisted a law compelling people to be jabbed was reasonable. 

'This is one of those things that should be mandatory,' Penn told Yahoo Entertainment. 'My deep belief, personally, is that it's no different having everybody being able to drive 100 miles an hour in a car.'

He argues that all Americans should get the shot, with the exception being for those with medical conditions that prohibit them from doing so.

'I think that vaccines need to be mandatory and that businesses -- the movie business and all businesses -- need to take the lead and not be so timid when dealing with their collective bargaining partners,' he continued. 

Penn also expressed his frustration with Americans who are eligible to get the shot but remain hesitant to do so. 

'There's different kinds of hesitancies, and so I don't think that there's much excuse to not know the informational available anymore,' he said. 'That's part of why I think it should be mandatory.'

'A resistance that's just based on a certain kind of... lack of imagination and understanding of anything that's helpful to the human race, I've become very frustrated by that. But I can only work within my own bounds and say that, for me, it should be mandatory.'

Throughout the pandemic, Penn has been vocal about wanting people to take precautions against coronavirus.