Actor Sean Penn unapologetically responded to questions about his Alejandro Iñárritu green card Oscars joke on Saturday in Beverly Hills, CA, and instead opted to blame a “xenophobic” country for the controversy.
During a promotional tour for his new film The Gunman, the duplicitous anti-gun liberal icon was asked about a racial jest he made prior to introducing the Mexican-born director’s Birdman as this year’s Best Picture.
“Who gave this son of a bitch his green card?” Penn said.
While Iñárritu later said he found the quip “hilarious,” others were outraged. Penn remained mum on the topic until Saturday, when he said the joke’s retractors were stupid, according to Fox News.
“I’m always surprised by flagrant stupidity. I keep having more hope,” Penn said.
He continued:
The fact is that I understand it. I see it all the time. When somebody sees the opportunity to frame something in the comfort that it will be common that they can do that and they can get a group to look at them and that they will take on those positions and never really think about what it was…
I have absolutely no apologies…
In fact, I have a big (expletive) you for every…anybody who is so stupid not to have gotten the irony when you’ve got a country that is so xenophobic.
“If they had their way, you wouldn’t have great filmmakers like Alejandro working in this country. Thank god we do,” he said.
Penn also explained that his joke was a conscious effort to let the director know he had won before others in the room at the 87th Academy Awards.
“There’s a little inside humor with he and I where I know, and wanted to know, that he would be the first person in that room to know that his film won,” he said.
Penn and Iñárritu previously worked together on 2003’s 21 Grams and have reportedly remained close friends.