Sean Penn Skips Oscars to Meet with Zelenskyy in Ukraine

Sean Penn, who won his third Academy Award on Sunday for Best Supporting Actor, chose to spend the evening in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rather than attend the ceremony in Los Angeles. Penn received the award for his portrayal of Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another.

A Longstanding Alliance

Presenter Kieran Culkin accepted the award on Penn’s behalf, joking that the actor “couldn’t be here this evening, or didn’t desire to.” According to reports, Penn traveled to Europe specifically to meet with Zelenskyy. This isn’t the first time Penn has shown public support for Ukraine; he met with Zelenskyy shortly after Russia’s invasion in 2022 and gifted him his first Oscar statuette, earned for Mystic River, with the hope it would be returned to Malibu once Ukraine defeated Russia. The New York Times reported that the actor had also skipped the BAFTAs and the Actor Awards earlier this year.

Zelenskyy Expresses Gratitude

President Zelenskyy posted a photo of himself with Penn on X, thanking the actor and activist for his continued support. “Sean, thanks to you, we know what a true friend of Ukraine is,” Zelenskyy wrote. “You have stood with Ukraine since the first day of the full-scale war. This is still true today. And we know that you will continue to stand with our country and our people.” Variety confirmed the meeting.

A Decorated Actor

With this win, Penn joins Daniel Day-Lewis, Jack Nicholson, and Walter Brennan as one of only four male actors to have won three Academy Awards. HuffPost noted that Penn won his previous Oscars for Mystic River in 2004 and Milk in 2009.

Ongoing Commitment

While the specifics of Penn’s visit to Ukraine remain undisclosed, his presence underscores his ongoing commitment to the country and its people. The Independent highlighted this unusual turn in Penn’s life and function in recent years, contrasting his choice to forgo a Hollywood celebration for a war-torn country.