Sean Penn SLAMS the Oscars and backs Trump biopic in wild rant while chain-smoking

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Sean Penn has slammed the Oscars while throwing his weight behind Trump biopic The Apprentice in a surprising rant at a press conference in Marrakech.

Penn, 64, who was chain-smoking American Spirit cigarettes during his tirade, singled out Ali Abbasi’s controversial Donald Trump film starring Sebastian Stan for being left out of awards season. 

'The Academy have exercised really extraordinary cowardice when it comes to being part of the bigger world of expression,' he said Tuesday during a Marrakech Film Festival press conference.

'And in fact, [they] have largely been part of limiting the imagination and very limiting of different cultural expressions.'

Penn - who has won two Academy Awards himself - continued: 'So I don't I get very excited about what we'll call the Academy Awards [except for] when a film like The Florida Project, or I'm Still Here, or, you know, Emilia Pérez, of the things that are likely to happen this year.' 

While Oscar nominations are yet to be announced, The Apprentice has not been predicted to fare well. 

Sean Penn chain-smoked American Spirits while publicly blasting the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for not having the bravery to honor controversial films at the Oscars

Lead actor Stan, 42, has revealed how he has been shunned by his fellow actors who didn't want to be associated with the film - claiming they were 'afraid' to talk about it. 

Netflix reportedly rejected the $12.1M-grossing drama due to their 'millions of MAGA subscribers' and the newly re-elected 78-year-old president blasted it as 'a cheap, defamatory, and politically-disgusting hatchet job.'

The Apprentice is said to include scenes depicting Trump violently raping his first wife, Ivana, abusing amphetamines in order to lose weight, and undergoing liposuction/plastic surgery to remove a bald spot.

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'When something sneaks through, it's to be celebrated,' Penn noted.

'It's jaw-dropping how afraid this [so-called] business of mavericks is of a great film like that. One with great, great acting. [It's amazing] that they too can be as afraid as a piddly little Republican congressman.'

The thrice-divorced Malibu native has won two Academy Awards for his leading performances in Clint Eastwood's 2004 crime thriller Mystic River and Gus Van Sant's 2009 Harvey Milk biopic Milk.

In November 2022, Sean gave away one of his Oscar statuettes to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy eight months after the Academy refused to allow the politician to speak during the same ceremony they allowed Will Smith to slap Chris Rock.

'It's just a symbolic silly thing, but if I know this is here with you, then I'll feel better and strong enough for the fights,' Penn said at the time.

'When you win, bring it back to Malibu because I'll feel much better knowing there's a piece of me here.'

Last Saturday, the Daddio star was honored with the Golden Star trophy at the 21st Marrakech International Film Festival 'for his uncompromising dedication to excellence.'

The 64-year-old actor-humanitarian said Tuesday during a Marrakech Film Festival press conference: 'The Academy have exercised really extraordinary cowardice when it comes to being part of the bigger world of expression'

Sean continued: 'And in fact, [they] have largely been part of limiting the imagination and very limiting of different cultural expressions'

Penn added: 'So I don't I get very excited about what we'll call the Academy Awards [except for] when a film like The Florida Project, or I'm Still Here, or, you know, Emilia Pérez (pictured), of the things that are likely to happen this year'

Aside from Netflix's transgender Mexican musical, Penn singled out Ali Abbasi's critically-acclaimed Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice starring Sebastian Stan (L) and Jeremy Strong (R)

Netflix reportedly rejected the $12.1M-grossing drama due to their 'millions of MAGA subscribers' and the newly re-elected 78-year-old president blasted it as 'a cheap, defamatory, and politically-disgusting hatchet job'

The Apprentice is said to include scenes depicting Trump violently raping his first wife, Ivana, abusing amphetamines in order to lose weight, and undergoing liposuction/plastic surgery to remove a bald spot

The thrice-divorced Malibu native noted: 'When something sneaks through, it's to be celebrated. It's jaw-dropping how afraid this [so-called] business of mavericks is of a great film like that'

Sean continued: 'One with great, great acting. [It's amazing] that they too can be as afraid as a piddly little Republican congressman' (pictured November 19)

Penn has won two Academy Awards for his leading performances in Clint Eastwood's 2004 crime thriller Mystic River and Gus Van Sant's 2009 Harvey Milk biopic Milk

In November 2022, the Daddio star gave away one of his Oscar statuettes to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (R) eight months after the Academy refused to allow the politician to speak during the same ceremony they allowed Will Smith to slap Chris Rock 

Last Saturday, Sean was honored with the Golden Star trophy at the 21st Marrakech International Film Festival 'for his uncompromising dedication to excellence.'

Penn used the opportunity to make his red carpet couple debut with his statuesque girlfriend since September - Valeria Nicov (R) - who's less than half his age

Sean used the opportunity to make his red carpet couple debut with his statuesque girlfriend since September - Valeria Nicov - who's less than half his age.

The Moldova-born Premium Model is younger than Penn's two children - daughter Dylan Frances Penn, 33; and son Hopper Jack Penn, 31 - from his on/off 13-year marriage to his Crossing Guard leading lady Robin Wright, which ended in 2010.

The CORE co-founder executive produced Tim Fehlbaum's historical thriller September 5, about the 1972 Munich Olympic hostage crisis, which hits US theaters December 13 and UK theaters January 24.

'[Fehlbaum] did such a great job,' Sean gushed.

'The perspective was not one that I've seen, or that we've seen. We've seen these patches all the time with different slogans. My favorite one is "Suck Less." I like to work with people who suck less.'

In September, Penn wrapped a mystery role in Paul Thomas Anderson's $140M-budget film The Battle of Baktan Cross, which is said to be a modern adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's 1990 postmodern novel Vineland.

The IMAX movie - also starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and Alana Haim - is said to be the 54-year-old filmmaker's 'most commercial' film to date and it's scheduled to hit US/UK theaters August 8.

The Asphalt City producer-star previously portrayed movie star Jack Holden in PTA's 2021 pedo-rom-com Licorice Pizza, which received rave reviews but only earned $33.3M back from its $40M budget at the box office.

Sean will also executive produce James Strong's upcoming Anna Politkovskaya biopic Words of War.