Sean Penn Explains Why He Skipped the Oscars Despite Winning Best Supporting Actor
Three months after taking home the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Sean Penn is shedding light on why he was nowhere to be found on Hollywood’s biggest night.
The actor, who earned the Oscar for his performance as military colonel Steven J. Lockjaw in One Battle After Another, revealed during an appearance at the Tribeca Festival that his absence from the ceremony was entirely intentional. Speaking with CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins during a live conversation in New York, Penn said he arranged a trip to Ukraine specifically so that it would coincide with the Academy Awards.
For Penn, the decision had little to do with the award itself and everything to do with his longstanding discomfort in large social settings. The Oscar winner explained that major industry events have never felt natural to him, describing award shows as environments that trigger anxiety rather than excitement.
“The Oscars have always represented social discomfort to me,” Penn said. The actor went on to explain that he struggles with large gatherings and prefers spending time in much smaller groups. “I won’t go anywhere to be with a designated group beyond eight people,” he said, adding that once the number grows larger, meaningful interaction becomes impossible. In his view, events packed with hundreds of guests create a sense of pressure and unease rather than celebration.
Penn’s comments provide new context for a mystery that puzzled many viewers during this year’s ceremony. Despite winning one of the evening’s major acting awards, the veteran performer did not attend the event, leaving many wondering why he chose to stay away. It was later revealed that he had traveled to Ukraine, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and continued the humanitarian and advocacy work he had pursued since Russia’s invasion of the country in 2022.
During the visit, Penn was honored by Ukraine’s state railway company, Ukrzaliznytsia, which presented him with a symbolic Oscar of its own. The award was reportedly crafted from metal taken from a railway car damaged during Russian shelling. In a social media post at the time, the railway company acknowledged that Penn had missed the Academy Awards ceremony and joked that it had decided to create an Oscar for him in Ukraine instead. The organization described the gift as a symbol of resilience amid the ongoing war.
Although Penn skipped this year’s ceremony, he is no stranger to Oscar recognition. The actor previously won Best Actor awards for his acclaimed performances in Mystic River and Milk, making this latest victory the third Academy Award of his career. Yet despite those achievements, Penn admitted that award shows have never been experiences he particularly enjoyed.
Looking back on previous ceremonies, he said the dominant feeling was often relief rather than excitement. The actor explained that he attended largely out of respect for the filmmakers, cast members, and crew who had supported the projects. However, he recently realized that he no longer felt obligated to put himself through events that negatively affected his well-being.
Penn said he tested that feeling earlier this year by attending the Golden Globe Awards, marking his first appearance at that ceremony. The experience ultimately confirmed his decision to avoid future awards shows. “That’s where I decided, ‘I can’t do this,’” he said.
According to Penn, his absence from the Oscars was not a surprise to those involved with One Battle After Another. He said both his co-stars and Warner Bros. executives were aware in advance that he would not attend the ceremony and supported the decision. “Everybody understood,” he explained. “They know me, and they felt that it was better for my mental health.”
The conversation also touched on another aspect of celebrity culture that Penn finds particularly frustrating: selfies. The actor expressed strong opposition to the increasingly common practice of fans requesting photographs with public figures, especially during high-profile events.
Discussing awards season, Penn said that beyond the networking and social obligations, the constant requests for selfies have become one of his least favorite parts of public life. He argued that the phenomenon has become unhealthy for both celebrities and fans, adding that he generally declines such requests regardless of the circumstances.
Ironically, Penn said that by skipping the Oscars altogether, he was finally able to enjoy the ceremony. Watching from Ukraine, far removed from the pressures and expectations that typically accompany awards season, he experienced the event from a completely different perspective.
“Having only felt relief a couple other times, I got to be excited watching the awards,” Penn said. “I really got to enjoy the Academy Awards for the first time. It was great.”
