Should Sean Penn bow out (or be booted out) of this year's Oscars race?
Sean Penn's smugness is part of his allure, of course, but at some point does it get to be too much? He's been quite flip about the Oscars in the past. For example: Penn's claimed that the Academy Awards reward "manipulation and very good marketing" and are bestowed by people who can't "find their butt with their hand." Earlier this year he harrumphed, "The season of trophies is truly a season in hell."
Hmmm. Then there's the bit of Sean Penn's odd acceptance speech when he won best actor of 2003 for "Mystic River." He said, "There is no such thing as best in acting."
Huh? Was he insulting the academy? If "best" doesn't exist, why should Sean Penn receive — or accept — an award for it? Last year it sure looked like the academy got the message when it didn't nominate him for directing "Into the Wild." Usually, Oscar voters rush to heep kudos on "cool" actors-turned-directors, of course. This director was nominated by the DGA last year — and usually those bids have an 80% overlap with the Oscars' list.
Does any of this even apply to Penn's best-actor bid for "Milk" this year? Are Sean Penn's oddities just an acceptable part of his schtick as far as his fellow actors are concerned? They're the people who decide nominees. Or should they get as tough on him now as he often gets on others? I'm not expressing my own view on these questions. Just asking for yours.
(Focus Features)
(An earlier version of this article refered to Penn's absence from the Oscars ceremony when he was nominated for "Dead Man Walking" (1995) as possible evidence of his often cavalier attitude about the award. It has been deleted because Penn may have been missing that year due to an urgent personal matter.)
While I think Sean is a gifted actor, he really needs to lighten up and stop taking life so seriously. If he would demonstrate more humility instead of entitlement shrouded in smugness he would be so much enjoyable as a celebrity.
If he's gonna act all annoyed with the "business" let him work and never acknowledge him for it. I bet he'll change his tune then.
Posted by: Josephine | January 26, 2009 at 06:15 PM
He didn't attend when he was nominated for Sweet and Lowdown ('99) either though.
Posted by: H | November 13, 2008 at 06:57 AM
If he deserves to be nominated, he should be. If he doesn't deserve it, he shouldn't be. Simple as that. I don't care about his attitude, politics or anything else.
Posted by: A | October 26, 2008 at 05:55 PM
"I'm not exprssing my own view on these questions. Just asking for yours."
But you ARE, Blanche! You ARE expressing your own view!
Posted by: fj | October 26, 2008 at 04:59 AM
This is exactly why I hate bloggers like you Mr. O'Neil. You're basically asking people if they think the Oscars should snub Penn WITHOUT them having see the movie first. Honestly, this is bad journalism.
Posted by: Michael B. | October 25, 2008 at 07:09 PM
Are you serious, Tom? This is the most self-serving piece of journalism. Penn is right. There is no best in the arts, but you speak of it as a high school popularity contest straight out of "Mean Girls." And did you miss the standing ovation he received from his peers when he won the Academy Award for MYSTIC RIVER? His peers love him! what is this really about? Has Penn snubbed you? Penn has offered audiences some of the most exciting, nuanced performances of the past 20 years. Who cares if he didn't show up for some awards show. He's still a great artist who has more raw talent than most of the folks who campaign to win rather than earning it like he does. If the movie MILK is half as good as its trailer, you will have more chances to redeem yourself and write about how terrific an actor he really is.
Posted by: beth | October 25, 2008 at 06:06 PM
Why is this question even being asked. What ever happened to free speech. Should censoring one's freedom be part of the selection for an award and let's face it- the Oscars are fun but in reality it's just an employee of the year award that can translate into profit for those involved. If the Academy snubs Penn for his actions and views then they should get Polanski's oscar back and the late Gig Young's (killed his wife) or how about Kazan's who named names and ruin people's lives. Come on- if there is anything to say about the Academy is their reluctance to honor the work of people of color and the nominees are just a small group of actors sited again and again- it's a hard club to break into.
Posted by: Kevin | October 25, 2008 at 04:06 PM
Good work is good work and should be recognized even if the person doing the good work has a bad attitude.
Posted by: KC | October 25, 2008 at 01:24 PM
I'm glad someone mentioned the medical emergency that occurred around the 1996 ceremony. Mr. O'Neil, it's not like you to miss such details.
Posted by: Janine | October 25, 2008 at 11:18 AM
Tom, that's a bizarrely mean-spirited interpretation of Penn's acceptance speech. By saying "there's no such thing as best in acting," he was graciously acknowledging the achievements of his fellow nominees, implying that he was no more deserving than the rest of them.
He's hardly the first actor to express such sentiments. The fact is it's impossible to quantify art ... that's why so many ceremonies formally use the word "outstanding" instead of "best." That's all Penn was saying there.
Posted by: Rob | October 25, 2008 at 06:47 AM
While I agree that Penn's cavalier attitude regarding the Oscars can be infuriating at times, especially when you consider how badly he likely wanted one on his mantle before he finally did go on to win one, his absence from the 1996 ceremony had everything to do with a medical malady. While preparing to go to the show, his wife, Robin Wright Penn, had to be rushed to the hospital where she later underwent an appendectomy. After the Oscar ceremony, Penn attended one or two private parties with Jack Nicholson wearing the custom-made tuxedo that designer Hugo Boss spent weeks tailoring for him so it would fit him perfectly. He had every intention of attending the ceremony and cheering on his co-star Susan Sarandon, director Tim Robbins, and Bruce Springsteen who was nominated for Best Original Song for writing the title track to "Dead Man Walking." Penn even did some campaigning earlier in that particular awards season going as far as presenting Sarandon with the Desert Palm Achievement Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival where she subsequently spent more time than she planned to thanks to a huge blizzard that had enveloped much of the Northeast. So in spite of his stance, if his work in "Milk" is exemplary (and there's no doubt it is, he is after all one of the finest actors of his generation) he wholeheartedly deserves to be in the Best Actor race. Hell, if Marlon Brando could talk trash about the Oscars and still land two or three additional career nominations after refusing his second Best Actor trophy, there's no legitimate excuse to deny Penn his due.
Posted by: Mack | October 24, 2008 at 11:33 PM