The Oscars will not feature an appearance by President Zelensky during the awards gala telecast for the second consecutive year. As reported by Variety, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences refused to give the Ukrainian leader airtime to denounce the Russian attacks that his country has been facing for more than a year.
Since then, Zelensky has appeared at a number of entertainment festivals and galas to denounce Putin and Russia for the invasion of Ukraine. However, the film industry's most important gala will not allow him to do so despite the fact that the president had the support of House Republican Mike Simpson. The congressman, according to Variety, asked the Academy to give a few minutes to the comedian-turned-politician, but they refused. The Academy declined to comment on the matter.
Sean Penn criticized the Academy for not allowing Zelensky to speak
Simpson is not Zelensky's only supporter. Actor Sean Penn spoke out in support of the politician last year. The Oscar winner for his role in Mystic River said that if the Academy did not allow the Ukrainian president to speak, it would be part of "the most obscene moment in all of Hollywood history":
There is nothing greater that the Academy Awards could do than to give him that opportunity to talk to all of us… It is my understanding that a decision has been made not to do it. If the Academy has elected not to do it, if presenters have elected not to pursue the leadership in Ukraine who are taking bullets and bombs for us, along with the Ukrainian children that they are trying to protect, then I think every single one of those people and every bit of that decision will have been the most obscene moment in all of Hollywood history.
Penn did not stop there. In November 2022, the actor visited Ukraine and gave one of his two Oscar trophies to Zelensky. According to statements reported by Deadline, he did this to express "continuing shame towards the Motion Picture Academy":
The Oscar is there in his office, and ready to be melted any time he wants to melt it. It is a small gesture, symbolic 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. Their loss.
