The intriguing reason Sean Penn missed the 2026 Oscars, despite his victory, has come to light.
Sean Penn was awarded the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the nefarious Colonel Lockjaw in Paul Thomas Anderson’s film One Battle After Another. Yet, he was absent from the awards ceremony. The previous year’s winner, Kieran Culkin, handed out the award, stating, “Sean Penn could not join us tonight, or chose not to, so I am accepting this award on his behalf.”
It has now been disclosed by Variety that Sean Penn missed the Oscars to have a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy later shared a photo of their meeting on X, expressing, “Sean, your commitment lets us recognize a true ally of Ukraine. You’ve supported Ukraine from the first day of the intensified conflict. Your support remains steadfast, and we trust that you will keep standing with our nation and our citizens.”
One Battle After Another marks Sean Penn’s third Oscar win, having previously clinched Best Actor for Mystic River in 2003 and Milk in 2008, events he attended, placing him alongside Daniel Day-Lewis, Jack Nicholson, and Walter Brennan as one of the few male actors to secure three Oscars.
Penn has also been nominated for Oscars for his roles in Dead Man Walking (1995), Sweet and Lowdown (1999), and I Am Sam (2001), all of which he did not attend.
A staunch supporter of Ukraine for a long time, Penn previously voiced his displeasure with the Oscars for not inviting President Zelenskyy to the ceremony in 2022, shortly after the onset of the war following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Penn later mentioned he contemplated melting down his Oscar statues to create bullets to aid Ukraine’s military efforts.
“I’ll convert them into bullets for Ukraine to use against the Russians,” Penn remarked. However, he later clarified that although he did not actually melt the awards, he did present the Oscar he received for Mystic River to Zelenskyy, telling him, “Keep it and bring it to Malibu once this is all over and your country is secure.”
Sean Penn produced the 2023 documentary Superpower, which documents his seven trips to Ukraine before and after Russia’s invasion. He was also awarded Ukraine’s Order of Merit, third class, for his “genuine support and significant contribution to promoting Ukraine globally.”
In addition to Sean Penn’s win for Best Supporting Actor, One Battle After Another garnered a total of six Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for Paul Thomas Anderson, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and the newly introduced category for Best Casting.
Ava Thornton is an entertainment journalist with a keen eye for the latest in Hollywood, indie films, and streaming trends.
Her work blends insider knowledge with a deep appreciation for storytelling.
