Sean Penn slammed the Academy for declining to invite Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the 2022 Oscars, saying the decision inspired him to gift one of his own Oscars to the president of Ukraine.
“The Oscar is there in his office, and ready to be melted any time he wants to melt it,” the actor said during a press conference at Berlin International Film Festival. Gifting him the award was “a symbolic gesture between two friends… inspired by my continuing shame towards the leadership of the Motion Picture Academy in choosing to present Will Smith smacking Chris Rock rather than the greatest symbol of cinema and humanity living today,” he added.