Sean Penn’s strong comments about the Academy came back into the news when its head, Bill Kramar, finally spoke about them at the Marrakech Film Festival.
Penn said the Academy showed “cowardice,” which created a lot of noise in Hollywood.
Bill didn’t get emotional or defensive when the question came up, saying he didn’t want to say exactly how he felt at that moment because he didn’t want his reaction to make headlines.
Instead, the 59-year-old CEO talked about how he tried to deal with any kind of feedback.
He explained that the Academy had eleven thousand members, all of whom had different views on films, awards and the organization itself.
However, Bill further said that he always tried to listen with an open heart, even when the comments were harsh or public.
He believed that serving the film world meant taking every opinion seriously.
The Academy’s current CEO also highlighted the fact that not all issues could be resolved quickly, but every voice still mattered.
According to him, even comments that felt upsetting could guide the academy to improve or think in a new way, saying these tough moments could turn into lessons.
Earlier, Penn argued that the Academy was restricting imagination and cultural expression, as his response showed that he respected the criticism and wanted to learn from it rather than argue back.
The exchange contributed to the ongoing discussion about how the Academy should grow and respond to the changing world of film.
