Sean Penn missed one of the defining moments of his career after winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw in the political drama One Battle After Another.
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Instead of attending the ceremony in Los Angeles, the 65-year-old actor traveled to Ukraine to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky. The win marked Penn’s third Oscar.
He had already won the Best Actor Oscar for Mystic River and for Milk.
His absence drew notice at the Dolby Theatre ceremony, where host Kieran Culkin noted that the actor was not there in person to accept his prize…
This win caps a stellar awards season for Penn, whose performance in One Battle After Another has been widely praised by critics. In this film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, Penn portrays Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw.
This production, which features a star-studded cast including Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio Del Toro, became one of the year’s most talked-about movies. Penn ultimately edged out the other nominees, Delroy Lindo, Jacob Elordi, and Stellan Skarsgård.
When the envelope was opened during the ceremony, Culkin referenced the actor’s absence, telling the audience:
“Sean Penn couldn’t be here tonight, or perhaps he didn’t want to come.”
As Hollywood celebrated the win, Penn was thousands of miles away in Ukraine, where he continued to publicly express his support for the country during the war with Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared a photo with the actor on X following their meeting. In the caption accompanying the photo, Zelensky underscored Penn’s commitment to Ukraine since the invasion began.
“Sean, because of you we know what a true friend of Ukraine looks like. You have supported Ukraine from day one of this full-scale war. That remains true today. And we know you will continue to support our country and our people,” wrote Zelensky.
Penn has been among Hollywood’s most visible figures to support Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. The actor was in Kyiv as the invasion began, while filming a documentary about the conflict, and he has returned repeatedly since to meet Zelensky and Ukrainian officials.
During one of these visits, Penn presented one of his Oscar statuettes to the Ukrainian president as a sign of solidarity!
The prize he left in Kyiv was one of his two Best Actor Oscars, awarded for his performances in Mystic River and Milk.
His continued presence in Ukraine comes as the country faces constant military pressure and uncertainty over international support. Ukrainian forces remain engaged in fierce fighting in several regions as the war continues, more than three years after the Russian invasion. At the same time, geopolitical attention in Washington has increasingly shifted toward the escalation of the US-Iran conflict, diverting diplomatic focus and military resources away from Eastern Europe. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly warned that maintaining international attention and aid remains essential as the war enters a difficult new phase.
For Penn, the decision to travel to Ukraine instead of attending the Oscars fits a pattern that has defined much of his public life in recent years. The actor has repeatedly used his fame to advocate political and humanitarian causes around the world. By choosing to be in Kyiv on the night he won his third Oscar, Penn once again put his activist commitments ahead of the Hollywood ceremony, reaffirming that his support for Ukraine remains intact even as international attention shifts to other global crises.
Créé par des humains, assisté par IA.
