Sean Penn's fiery take on Will Smith's Oscars slap: 'Why didn't you go to jail?'

In a recent explosive interview with Variety, Sean Penn, the 63-year-old Hollywood icon, threw shade at Will Smith's infamous slap at the Oscars. Penn brought up his own history with violence and questioned the glaring difference in how Hollywood and the law treated Smith after his altercation with Chris Rock.

Sean Penn’s tryst with controversies

Penn began diplomatically, "I don’t know Will Smith. I met him once. He seemed very nice. He was so good in King Richard," but he quickly shifted gears. "So why did you spit on yourself and everybody else? Why did I go to jail for what you just did? And you’re still celebrated?"

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This isn't Penn's first dance with controversy. In 1987, at 26, he spent 33 days in jail for assaulting an extra during the filming of Colors. A decade ago, Penn was sentenced to probation and community service after an altercation with a paparazzo.

The other side of the story
Will Smith, on the other hand, followed up his Oscars slap with an emotional Best Actor acceptance speech and later, an apologetic video message, admitting, "My behavior was unacceptable." The Fresh Prince actor subsequently resigned from the Academy and received a 10-year event ban.

Will Smith was to be arrested?

Oscar producer Will Packer previously disclosed that Smith could've been arrested at the Oscars if Rock pressed charges. Yet, the comedian chose not to.

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Penn, however, was more than his outburst. Firing back at the Oscars producers for not providing a platform for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he said, “Guess what you got instead? Will Smith!” Penn opined that if Zelenskyy had been given a moment, "Will Smith would never have left that chair."

Oscar trophies = bullets against Russians?

Lastly, the Milk actor revealed his personal connection to Ukraine's plight. He gifted his Oscar trophies to Zelenskyy, quipping, "They can be melted down to bullets against the Russians."

Penn's raw opinions may have ignited a new conversation around Hollywood’s evolving norms. Only time will tell if others join the discourse.