Sean Penn compares being unvaccinated to ‘pointing a gun in somebody’s face’
‘I believe it should be mandatory, like turning your headlights on in a car at night,’ said the actor
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sean Penn has compared being unvaccinated in public to “going around pointing a gun in somebody’s face”.
The actor opened up about his views on vaccination during a recent interview with Michael Smerconish on CNN to promote his latest film Flag Day, which also stars his daughter Dylan.
Earlier this month, in relation to the release of Flag Day, Penn warned cinema-goers to “stay home” until they have received their vaccination.
Speaking to Smerconish, Penn remained firm in his opinion but added: “Eventually [Flag Day] will stream and that’s a better time for the unvaccinated to see it, although I’ll probably offend them out of that choice.”
During their discussion, the Mystic River actor brought up the US’s Second Amendment, which reads: “A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”
Speaking about its relevance to his stance on vaccinations, Penn said: “I have some areas of strong belief in the Second Amendment.
“But I think that you need to recognise how, you know, with something like this, you can’t go around pointing a gun in somebody’s face, which is what it is when people are unvaccinated.”
The 61-year-old also opened up about his recent refusal to return to the set of his Starz TV series Gaslit until the full cast and crew were vaccinated, instead of solely those personally interacting with the actors.
Penn said he did not “want to feel complicit in something that was taking care of one group and not the other”.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
The Oscar-winner continued: “I do believe that everyone should get vaccinated. I believe it should be mandatory, like turning your headlights on in a car at night.”
In the UK, NHS plans are in place to roll out third doses of the vaccine from 6 September for people who might “really need” another jab. No official decision has been made yet.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments