Academy Award winner and self-proclaimed political ambassador Sean Penn has recently made headlines due to his political activism, this time in Ukraine. He is producing a documentary about the war for VICE Studios and was already there covering the crisis on February 24, the day when Russia invaded the eastern European country. He has been vocal about condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, gaining him and fellow actor Ben Stiller a permanent ban from entering Russia as a repercussion of his words and actions.
According to the New York Post, the 62-year-old actor and director was in Kyiv this week and met with president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to loan him one of his two Oscars as a sign of solidarity with the country amidst the ongoing war with Russia. President Zelenskyy was instructed by the actor to hold on to it until Ukraine wins the war, and to then bring it back to him in Malibu once the conflict is finally over.
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“It’s just a symbolic silly thing, but if I know this is here with you then I’ll feel better and stronger for the fights,” Sean Penn said in a video shared by president Zelenskyy’s office. “When you win, bring it back to Malibu.”
At first, President Zelenskyy was hesitant to accept the controversial gift, but he ended up accepting it.
“We have to win,” Zelenskyy replied.
The Gesture Has Drawn Mixed Opinions
The gesture has been received with both praise and criticism from all over the world.
Actor and activist Russel Brand said, “In one way I feel that it’s really, really sweet because I feel like Sean Penn is a totally sincere person and he knows stuff and has seen stuff that I can’t begin to comprehend or understand, but in another way doesn’t it show you that we’ve become fully immersed in a kind of wag the dog style event rather than an authentically rendered military experience. Because Sean Penn is giving Zelenskyy an Oscar and saying, ‘bring it back to Malibu’ at the same time nuclear power plants are being shelled and bridges are being blown up.”
In exchange, President Zelenskyy awarded Sean Penn with the Order of Merit Honor, for his involvement in gathering international support for Ukraine, and added the actor’s name to the “Walk of the Brave” on the Constitution Square in Kyiv, which honors leaders and representatives from other countries that have notably supported Ukraine.
Penn has won two Academy Awards for Best Actor, one in 2004 for his role as ex-con Jimmy Markum in Mystic River (2003), and in 2009 he earned his second one for portraying Harvey Milk in the biopic Milk (2008).
