Sean Penn explains skipping Oscars, avoiding selfies at Tribeca talk
6 reported
Sean Penn stated during a Friday afternoon talk at the 25th annual Tribeca Festival that he will not attend public gatherings with more than eight people, which he said is why he was absent from the 98th Academy Awards, where he won Best Supporting Actor. The conversation with CNN anchor Kaitlin Collins took place at Spring Studios in lower Manhattan as part of the festival running June 3-14. Penn explained that large gatherings trigger his anxiety and are “dread-provoking,” and that he decided to stop attending awards shows after this year’s Golden Globes. He said he watched the Oscars in Ukraine, where it aired from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m., and described enjoying the ceremony for the first time. Penn also criticized selfies, calling them a “soul-sucker,” and said he refuses them even in extreme cases, citing a hypothetical Holocaust grandmother with a paraplegic grandchild.
What’s reported
Sean Penn said he will not attend public gatherings with more than eight people, which he cited as the reason for missing the 98th Academy Awards.
Penn won Best Supporting Actor at the 98th Oscars, his third Oscar.
The remarks came during a Friday afternoon talk with CNN anchor Kaitlin Collins at the 25th annual Tribeca Festival (June 3-14) at Spring Studios in lower Manhattan.
Penn said he decided to stop attending awards shows after this year’s Golden Globes, which he had never attended before.
He watched the Oscars in Ukraine, where it started at 2 a.m. and ended at 5 a.m., and said he enjoyed it for the first time.
Penn called selfies a “soul-sucker” and said he refuses them even for a hypothetical Holocaust grandmother with a paraplegic grandchild.
Key figures
Sean Penn, actor and Oscar winner
Kaitlin Collins, CNN anchor and moderator
Robert De Niro, co-founder of the Tribeca Festival (mentioned as a long-time associate of Penn)
Sources: Variety
