Academy boss gets candid about Sean Penn accusation

Sean Penn, a two-time Academy Award winner, is known for his vocal views on social and political matters. In light of this, last year, he accused the Academy of "cowardice."

Now, Bill Kramar, the head of AMPAS or the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, breaks the silence on it during his media interaction at the Marrakech Film Festival.

“I won’t tell you exactly how I felt in those moments,” says the executive. “I don’t know if I want that to be a headline.”

Without using loaded language, Bill adds, “We have 11,000 members, all with a variety of feelings and ideas about the movie industry, the Oscars, and the Academy." 

He continues his response, “As their CEO, I always try to take comments—even negative ones—with an open heart. I work in service to the film industry and to our membership, and if someone is unhappy, even publicly, I take that seriously.”

“I see it as a note to consider. You may not always reach a resolution, but all voices matter, even those that are upsetting or don’t align with your thinking."

"Sometimes, those voices actually push you to evolve in a different way. These moments can be very constructive," Bill concludes.

Meanwhile, to shine a light on Sean's criticism, he said, “The Academy have exercised really extraordinary cowardice when it comes to being part of the bigger world of expression, and in fact, have largely been part of limiting the imagination and very limiting of different cultural expressions."