Sean Penn criticized Will Smith and questioned why the “King Richard” star was still receiving applause after his violent outburst at the 2022 Oscars.
The ‘Milk’ actor became ‘fucking angry’ according to Varietyduring an interview with the media in which he discussed the Oscars’ refusal to allow Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to speak at the awards ceremony this year.
“The Oscar producer thought, ‘Oh, he’s not light-hearted enough.’ Guess what you got instead? Will Smith!” said Penn, who made a documentary about the war in Ukraine.
“I don’t know Will Smith. “I met him once,” Penn said, adding that he “seemed very nice” and had a standout role in “King Richard,” the biopic that won Smith a best actor Oscar.
“Why the hell did you just spit that stupid damn thing on yourself and everyone else? Why did I go to prison for what you just did? And you’re still sitting there? “Why are you standing there applauding his worst moment as a human being?” he said.
Penn was convicted in 1987 of assaulting an extra on the set of the film “Colors.” He spent 33 days in prison.
Smith won an Oscar in 2022 after slapping comedian Chris Rock on stage for making a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
He has since apologized and resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which barred him from attending the Oscars for 10 years. Rock did not press charges.
Penn, who has won two Oscars himself, told Variety he believes the incident would not have happened if Zelensky had spoken at the event.
“Will Smith would never have left this chair to participate in stupid violence. That would never have happened,” he said.
Penn itself has a long history of violence. He was ordered to undergo In 2010, he had to undergo anger management counseling after he was accused of kicking a photographer and breaking his camera during one of several altercations with paparazzi over the years.
He was also accused of domestic violence during his marriage to pop legend Madonna, which ended in divorce in 1989. Both Madonna and Penn have since denied that Penn assaulted them.