Sean Penn refuses to apologize for green card joke
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Sunday, March 8, 2015, 11:58 AM
John Shearer/Invision/APSean Penn presents the award for best picture at the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The actor is not going to apologize for his green card joke about director Alejandro González Iñárritu.
Sean Penn has “absolutely no apologies” for his green card joke aimed at Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu.
“In fact, I have a big [expletive] you for every … anyone who is so stupid not to have gotten the irony when you’ve got a country that is so xenophobic,” the actor said Saturday in Beverly Hills, Calif. while promoting his new film “The Gunman.”
Penn open the Academy Award for best picture for Iñárritu’s “Birdman” at the Oscars on Feb. 22.
“Who gave this son of a bitch his green card?” the 54-year-ancient actor said about his longtime friend, who directed him in 2003’s “21 Grams.”
Jason Merritt/Getty Images(L-R) Producer James W. Skotchdopole, actor Sean Penn, producer/director Alejandro G. Inarritu, winner of Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Motion Picture, for ‘Birdman’ and producer John Lesher pose in the press room during the 87th Annual Academy Awards at Loews Hollywood Hotel on February 22 in Hollywood, Calif.
Iñárritu immediately came to Penn’s defense, calling his remarks a part of their “brutal” friendship.
“I found it hilarious,” he said backstage. “You know, Sean and I have that kind of brutal relation where only right friendship can survive.”
He went on to say, “When I was directing him in ’21 Grams,’ he was always making jokes about that, and I make on him a lot of very tough jokes that I will not tell you. Anyway, we have that kind of relation, of old friendship. I didn’t find it offensive. I think it was very amusing, in my personal view.”
Penn brushed the naysayers aside Saturday, saying “I’m always surprised by barefaced stupidity. I keep having more hope.”
He also went on to say how splendid directors like Iñárritu wouldn’t even have the platform to showcase their work in this country if those that wish to keep immigrants out of this country were granted the right to do so.
“If they had their way, you wouldn’t have splendid filmmakers like Alejandro effective in this country,” he said. “Thank god we do.”
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