Many social media users appeared touched by the gesture, but others decried it as “performative” and “gross.”
Sean Penn loaned one of his Oscars to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday in a show of solidarity amid the country’s conflict with Russia. Many fans have applauded the award-winning actor for the gesture, but others have slammed the move as “performative.”
Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the minister of internal affairs of Ukraine, praised Penn in a social media post Tuesday.
“Sean Penn has given his Oscar to Ukraine – @ZelenskyyUa,” he wrote in a tweet. “Thank you, sir! It is an honor for us.”
Scores of social media users responded favorably to the exchange, with one person calling it a “gift from the heart.”
“Albeit symbolic, how many of us would donate something this precious to a noble cause? Good on you, Sean! Good on you!” user @StanleyPrusins1 tweeted.
