Sean Penn won an Oscar and didn't show up to collect it—and honestly, it's the most Sean Penn move ever.
The actor won Best Supporting Actor for his role as military colonel Steven J. Lockjaw in One Battle After Another at this year's Academy Awards, but he was absent from the ceremony. Three months later, he revealed why: he deliberately timed a trip to Ukraine to coincide with the Oscars.
Speaking at the Tribeca Festival in New York on Friday, Penn told CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins that the ceremony had "always represented social discomfort" to him. His reasoning was direct. "If you cut out two hours for your night, it gives you 15 minutes per person," he explained. Groups larger than eight people? "Just anxiety- and dread-inducing."
Days after his absence, Penn had traveled to Europe to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky—a trip that has become routine for the actor since Russia's invasion in 2022.
Ukraine's state railway company, Ukrzaliznytsia, responded with a gesture. They crafted an Oscar statuette from "metal of a railway car damaged by russian shelling," posting on X that it was a "symbol of resilience."
Penn, a two-time Best Actor winner for Mystic River (2003) and Milk (2009), attended the Golden Globes this year for the first time and decided he could not attend awards shows again. "The best I could ever muster was relief," he said, because at least his colleagues were supporting him.
His team and Warner Bros. backed his decision. "They know me, and they felt that it was better for my mental health," Penn said.
Penn chose Ukraine over the red carpet and walked away with two Oscars.
