Sean Penn Misses Oscars Ceremony After Traveling to Ukraine to Meet President Zelenskyy
Sean Penn was absent from the 2026 Academy Awards despite winning Best Supporting Actor for his role in One Battle After Another. Instead of attending the ceremony, the actor traveled to Ukraine, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, continuing a political and humanitarian involvement that has defined much of his public life in recent years.
Penn’s win marked his third Oscar, this time for his performance as Colonel Lockjaw in Paul Thomas Anderson’s political drama. But when his name was announced, he wasn’t there to accept the award.
Actor Kieran Culkin, who won in the same category the previous year, presented the trophy and acknowledged Penn’s absence with a brief remark, noting that Penn “couldn’t be here tonight, or didn’t want to be,” before accepting the award on his behalf.
While the Oscars were taking place in Los Angeles, Penn was in Ukraine meeting with Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian president later posted a photo of the meeting on social media, publicly thanking Penn for his continued support of the country since Russia’s full-scale invasion began.
In his message, Zelenskyy described Penn as a loyal ally who has consistently shown support both publicly and privately. Penn has visited Ukraine multiple times since 2022 and has been one of the more visible Hollywood figures speaking about the war.
His involvement has included documentary filmmaking, public advocacy, and humanitarian efforts tied to the conflict.
Penn’s absence from the Oscars was not an isolated decision. Over the past year, he has also skipped several major ceremonies despite receiving nominations and awards.
He did not attend the BAFTA Awards or the Actor Awards, both of which he won during the season. At the Golden Globes, he was nominated but ultimately lost the Best Supporting Actor award to Stellan Skarsgård for Sentimental Value.
Penn has long had a complicated relationship with Hollywood ceremonies, sometimes attending and sometimes choosing to stay away. In a previous interview, he even joked about ignoring rules at awards shows, including smoking during the Golden Globes despite venue restrictions.
Outside of acting, Penn has increasingly focused on political and humanitarian work. His recent documentary Superpower, co-directed with Aaron Kaufman, documents his time in Ukraine and includes footage from the early days of the invasion as well as interviews with Zelenskyy.
Speaking at the Lumière Film Festival last year, Penn suggested he does not see a strong dividing line between his activism and his artistic work. He described acting, directing, activism, and even woodworking as extensions of the same mindset, trying to contribute something meaningful.
He also acknowledged that activism comes with risks and difficult decisions, saying that every action involves weighing potential consequences and whether involvement actually improves a situation.
Penn has never been known for traditional Hollywood behavior, and his decision to spend Oscar night in a war zone instead of at the industry’s biggest celebration fits with a career marked by outspoken political positions and unconventional choices.
