Sean Penn has been met with backlash after saying that he won’t do selfies for anyone – not even a ‘Holocaust grandmother and her six-year-old paraplegic.’
His comments came as the One Battle After Another star justified his decision not to attend the recent Oscars.
The 65-year-old won the award for best supporting actor after being nominated for his scene-stealing role as Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw, beating fellow nominees such as Timothée Chalamet and Leonardo DiCaprio.
However, Penn was absent on the big day, leaving Succession star Keiran Culkin to pick up the trophy on his behalf.
In a new interview, the actor has expressed his distaste for large gatherings of people – which would include the Academy Awards – and for taking selfies in particular.
And, in doing so, he’s sparked the ire of internet commenters who described the example he gave as ‘insane’ and ‘insufferable.’
Speaking to CNN anchor Katlin Collins during the Tribeca Film Festival, Penn described events like the Oscars as ‘dread-inducing.’
Instead, he took a trip to Ukraine, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an effort to raise awareness for the ongoing conflict with Russia.
‘I really got to enjoy the Academy Awards for the first time. It was great,’ he said… after deciding to watch the show from abroad.
He went on to take particular aim at those who would ask him for a picture on such occasions, believing that ‘people should not do selfies ever with anyone.’
Penn continued: ‘It’s bad for you; it’s bad for everyone. It’s a soul-sucker.
‘It’s the Holocaust grandmother and her six-year-old paraplegic wheeling over? It’s a hard no.’
While many had no issue with Penn setting boundaries, some took umbrage with his choice of example.
This included RepByRepX, who described his wording as ‘insane,’ and said that he could have ‘just said “no thanks, not my thing” instead of inventing the most extreme scenario possible.’
Amara agreed, writing: ‘This is just not the way to describe not wanting that’, adding that it made Penn ‘come off as an awful person.’
‘Boundaries are fine, but using Holocaust survivor and disabled child as examples was a really poor choice. Could’ve said it simpler,’ said Avery.
‘This shouldn’t surprise anyone,’ said RefusedStone, describing the actor as’insufferable’ for his words.
Where do you stand on Sean Penn’s selfie comments?
-
He’s right to set boundaries
-
He’s just being mean
Users such as TheCriticalDri2 branded Penn ‘pretentious’, while Luke_Guysucker quipped sarcastically: ‘he has such a way with words’.
This is far from the first time Penn has sparked controversy, having previously defended Woody Allen and threatened to make a fan ‘eat their phone’ at a restaurant in 2013.
In 2022, he also irritated people with his comments about masculinity, arguing that men have ‘become quite feminised’ and ‘cowardly’ for wearing skirts over jeans.
What’s more, the Hollywood actor has had several run-ins with the law, which have included being arrested for punching an extra on the set of his film Colors in 1987. He was already on probation at the time after being charged with misdemeanour battery for allegedly assaulting songwriter David Wolinski the year before, to which he pleaded not guilty.
Consequently, Penn was sentenced to 60 days in jail for the assault and for reckless driving, of which he served 33.
Madonna’s famous ex-husband was also absent from the Baftas and the Actor Awards, where he had been nominated for his role in One Battle After Another.
He did, however, attend the Golden Globes, where he ultimately lost out to Stellan Skarsgård for his role in Sentimental Value.
Soon after, he took home (or perhaps it was mailed to him) the Oscar at that year’s ceremony, making this his third win after scoring best actor for Mystic River (2004) and Milk (2009).
His latest triumph was met with an apparent show of dismay from fellow actor Delroy Lindo, who was pictured not smiling or clapping when Penn’s win was announced.
‘Delroy seems devastated, he didn’t even clap,’ nata_alimuddin wrote on X.
Spiresgoncalves added: ‘I’m glad Delroy didn’t clap for Sean Penn, like no one moved.’
Meanwhile, Culkin also poked fun at Penn’s no-show, quipping that he ‘couldn’t be here… or didn’t want to.’
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.