Sean Penn called for a boycott of the 2022 Oscars if they veto an appearance by Zelensky: “I will melt my statuettes myself”

American filmmaker Sean Penn called on Sunday to boycott the Oscars ceremony if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky does not participate with a speech. Indignant, he said he will melt his statuettes in protest.

The possibility of the Ukrainian leader speaking at the gala has been under consideration for a week, after the comedian Amy Schumer, one of the presenters of the ceremony, noted the responsibility of the Oscars in giving voice to Zelensky. However, it was never made official and neither the Academy nor the Ukrainian government confirmed its presence.

Now, the actor and activist, who was on the ground last month in Ukraine filming a documentary about the Russian invasion, denounced that the Ukrainian president is the victim of a veto of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards the prestigious awards.

During an appearance on CNN he sent an ultimatum to the organizers: Approve Zelensky's invitation or face a possible boycott.

“If the Academy has chosen not to, if the presenters have chosen not to look for the leaders of Ukraine, who are receiving bullets and bombs for us, along with the Ukrainian children they are trying to protect, then I think that every one of those people and every part of that decision will have been the most obscene moment in the entire history of Hollywood,” he told CNN's Jim Acosta.

He added: “I would encourage everyone involved, even if they want to celebrate their films, to protest and boycott the Academy Awards. And I myself, if that's the case, when I come back.”

Penn, who has awards for best actor for the films “Mystic River” (2003) and “Milk” (2008), said: “I will melt them [my awards] in public.”

The statuettes are made of solid bronze and are plated with 24 carat gold.

Penn has more than once denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine as “a most horrible mistake for all mankind.” In fact, on his trip to Ukraine, he met with the Ukrainian president and called him a “historical symbol of courage and principles.”

“Ukraine is the spearhead of the democratic embrace of dreams. If we allow it to fight alone, our soul as the United States is lost,” she said in a statement to The Washington Post last month.

Russia is facing a widespread reaction from the West. More than 380 companies have announced that they will withdraw, reduce or pause their operations in Russia since the invasion began in late February, according to a database from the Yale School of Management. This month, in a historic move, the International Chess Federation withdrew the tournaments of Russia and Belarus. A few days later, he banned one of the best chess players in the world for publicly expressing his support for Putin.

The Washington Post recalls that Penn has a long history of insertion in international affairs. He is known for his political activism and humanitarian work around the world, including relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina, the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and the major floods in Pakistan in 2012.

The actor told CNN in 2011 that his anti-war stance arose when he watched the Vietnam War on television with his brothers as a child. “I grew up in a family that was opposed [to war],” he said.

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