Long before Steve Bannon’s rise to political power as chief strategist in the Trump administration, he was a film producer trying to hack it in Hollywood.

And while Mr Bannon, who was removed from the National Security Council earlier this week, may no longer have his sights set on Tinseltown, he did kickstart his film career working with Sean Penn in 1991, helping produce the actor’s directorial debut, The Indian Runner.

Asked to reflect on his experience working with the key Trump aide, Penn did not hold back, telling Death and Taxes magazine: “Bannon was then, as he is now, simply another bitter Hollywood wannabe who went rogue by way of toxic narcissistic iconoclasm.

“But, deep in his heart, he’s just a conniving hateful bloated punk who despises mankind. And then there are also the bad things about him,” the Mystic River actor said.

Mr Bannon was an executive producer on The Indian Runner, the film that seems to have launched his career in film production, according to IMDB.

Steve Bannon was removed from the National Security Council earlier this week (Getty)

He later invested in NBC’s Seinfeld and produced a number of documentaries, including Clinton Cash, a takedown of Hillary Clinton based on Peter Schweizer’s 2015 book of the same name, which alleges the Clintons amassed millions in personal wealth through foreign contributions to the Clinton Foundation.

Penn’s comments come as unconfirmed reports say Mr Bannon could be about to lose his job at the White House entirely.

Donald Trump is considering sacking Mr Bannon and White House chief of staff in a major administration shakeup, the reports allege.