Oscars without Volodymyr Zelenskyy?
Sean Penn would melt down Oscar statues in protest
Sean Penn, here at a press conference in Kraków, is currently in Warsaw helping people fleeing Ukraine.
© imago images/Eastnews
Sean Penn calls for a boycott of the Oscars if Volodymyr Zelenskyj is not tuned in during the gala.
Hollywood star Sean Penn (61) is threatening to boycott the Oscars if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (44) does not attend this year’s awards virtually. The actor announced this in an interview.
Penn is currently in Warsaw, Poland, with his aid organization CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort), founded in 2010, to help refugees from Ukraine. Before that, he had met Zelenskyj several times and made a documentary about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“The most shameless moment in all of Hollywood history”
He was glad he was asked about the Oscars, Penn explains to CNN“The Academy couldn’t do better than to give Zelenskyy “this opportunity to speak to all of us.” However, Penn understood that the organizers of the Oscars had apparently decided against it – regardless of whether the former actor and today’s Ukrainian President wanted to be connected at all.
If this decision was actually made and the presenters didn’t address the Ukraine war either, it would be “the most shameless moment in the entire history of Hollywood”. Penn hopes things will turn out differently. If it does happen, it’s important to “protest and boycott the Academy Awards.” Everyone in attendance should then just get up and leave, Penn suggests – although he understands his colleagues at the gala want to celebrate their films.
Penn is a two-time Oscar winner himself. He won Best Actor for his performances in the films “Mystic River” (2003) and “Milk” (2008). The actor and director announced that he might want to “melt down” his two awards after his return to the United States, should Zelenskyj not be invited.