Sean Penn refuses to return to the set of his new TV series until all cast and crew are vaccinated

• Sean Penn refuses to work on his show "Gaslit" until the entire cast and crew are vaccinated.
• Currently, producers can only mandate vaccinations to those on set who work in close proximity.
• Those on set who don't fall into that category can get a vaccination but it is not a requirement.

Sean Penn is the first star to oppose the current COVID-19 vaccination rules Hollywood has set as he has refused to return to the TV show he's currently filming.

On Thursday, Deadline reported that the Oscar-winner has decided not to go back to the set of the Starz series "Gaslit" until the entire cast and crew of the show has been vaccinated.

This week an agreement between the studios and unions was met that gave producers the mandate to vaccinate cast or crew members in "zone A." Sets are broken up into zones with "A" being the one where cast and crew work in close proximity without wearing protective gear.

According to Deadline, the show, which focuses on the untold stories during Watergate, has a mandatory vaccination policy for all "zone A" cast and crew members and has provided an on-set vaccination clinic for those in the production outside of the zone who want it.

But Penn doesn't believe that's enough.

Penn will not return to work, according to the trade, until everyone is vaccinated. He has offered the services of his non-profit organization CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) to do the vaccinations for all.

Representatives for Penn and Starz didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Penn plays attorney general John Mitchell, one of Richard Nixon's most trusted advisors during the Watergate scandal that brought down the president. Julia Roberts also stars in the series as Mitchell's wife.

The series has been shot mostly indoors so far on a studio lot in Los Angeles. For the last few weeks, Penn has been in the South of France for the premiere of his next movie "Flag Day" which had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

Since then, the COVID-19 Delta variant has been spreading rapidly around the US, especially in California. Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has even urged its residents to start wearing masks indoors again, even if they are fully vaccinated.

More than 97% of people currently hospitalized for COVID-19 are unvaccinated, according to the White House.

If Penn continues to not work on "Gaslit" it will delay production, according to Deadline.