- Sean Penn missed the 98th Academy Awards ceremony where he won Best Supporting Actor
- Kieran Culkin accepted Penn's Oscar on his behalf at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood
- Penn was in Kyiv with Ukraine President Zelensky amid the Russia-Ukraine War
Hollywood star Sean Penn was conspicuous in his absence at the 98th Academy Awards. The actor, who won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another, gave the ceremony a miss.
"He couldn't be here tonight, or he didn't want to - so I'll be accepting the award on his behalf," said Succession star Kieran Culkin, who was on the stage to present the award to Penn.
Everyone in Hollywood's Dolby Theatre, where the Academy Awards were held, was wondering why the actor didn't attend the awards.
The answer came a few hours later.
On X, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky shared a picture with Penn sitting in what appeared like his office in Kyiv. In his post, Zelensky called the American actor "a true friend of Ukraine" amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War.
"Sean, thanks to you, we know what a true friend of Ukraine is. 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," Zelensky captioned his picture with Penn.
Penn, also an activist, has openly shown his support for Ukraine by mobilising relief work through his non-profit organisation, Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE).
In his last Instagram post, dated April 8, 2022, months after the Russia-Ukraine War began, Penn wrote: "These are Ukranian and Polish staff at a warehouse funded by @coreresponse packing emergency supplies to ship out to refugee shelters. Help their efforts by donating at the link in my bio or text "CORE" to 24365."
Penn's win for One Battle After Another marks his third Academy Award. He has previously won two Best Actor Oscars for 2003's Mystic River and for the 2008's Milk, in which he played the role of San Francisco politician and LGBTQ rights pioneer Harvey Milk.
Also Read | At Oscars 2026, Film On Russia-Ukraine War Gets An Award, None For Iran And Israel