Renowned actor and filmmaker Sean Penn lashed out at the Oscars and fellow actor Will Smith, expressing his frustration over the disparity in treatment between himself and Smith regarding their personal controversies. Penn specifically criticized the Oscars for prohibiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from attending the 2022 ceremony, while Will Smith, who allegedly assaulted Chris Rock, received applause and acclaim.
Key Takeaway
Sean Penn criticized the Oscars for excluding Volodymyr Zelensky while embracing Will Smith, highlighting the discrepancy in treatment between their personal controversies.
In an interview with Variety, Penn voiced his anger, stating, “The Oscars producer thought, ‘Oh, he’s [Zelensky] not light-hearted enough.’ Well, guess what you got instead? Will Smith! I don’t know Will Smith. I met him once, and he seemed very nice. He was so f***ing good in ‘King Richard.'” However, Penn questioned why the Oscars audience was applauding Smith’s actions, given his own experience with legal consequences for assault.
Penn referred to his own conviction in 1987 for attacking an extra on the set of “Colors,” which resulted in him serving 33 days in jail. He argued that had Zelensky been allowed to attend the Oscars, Smith would not have engaged in such behavior. Penn asserted, “This f*ing bulls* wouldn’t have happened with Zelensky. Will Smith would never have left that chair to be part of stupid violence. It never would have happened.”
The actor expressed his frustration by considering the destruction of his own Oscars, declaring, “I thought, well, f*** it, you know? I’ll give them to Ukraine. They can be melted down to bullets they can shoot at the Russians.” Subsequently, during a visit in November 2022, Penn presented Zelensky with his own Oscars, and in return, he was honored with the Order of Merit by the Ukrainian President.
Sean Penn has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine and has recently created a documentary titled “Superpower,” focused on the ongoing war, which is set to be released on Paramount+ this Monday.
