Why Sean Penn Didn't Collect His Oscar

Sean Penn just joined Hollywood's exclusive three-Oscar club and wasn't there to see it happen—because he was on another continent. The 65-year-old won best supporting actor Sunday for playing a fervent military commander in Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another. Onstage, presenter Kieran Culkin told the audience, "Sean Penn couldn't be here this evening, or didn't want to, so I'll be accepting the award on his behalf." The New York Times zeroes in on Penn's whereabouts, reporting the actor instead flew to Europe, with plans to visit Ukraine, according to two people familiar with his travel who weren't authorized to speak publicly.

An unnamed Ukrainian official confirmed the news to AFP, saying, "We can say that he's in Ukraine, but it's his personal visit; that's how he sees it, that he needs to be in Ukraine. He just wants to support Ukraine." Penn's rep declined comment, and it wasn't clear exactly what Penn would do or where he would go in Ukraine, where he has logged a good deal of time since Russia's 2022 invasion.

Penn, who also bypassed this year's SAG Awards and BAFTAs despite winning both, becomes just the fourth man to have won three acting Oscars, per the Hollywood Reporter, joining Jack Nicholson, Walter Brennan, and Daniel Day-Lewis in that group. Penn loaned Zelensky one of his Oscars during a 2022 visit.