LOS ANGELES — Sean Penn has built one of the most illustrious careers in contemporary acting, and he’s added another Oscar to the list.
On Sunday, Penn won the Academy Award for best supporting actor for his performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s political drama “One Battle After Another.” He delivered an impressive portrayal of a seasoned power broker navigating the shifting loyalties and ideological battles at the center of the film.
Penn, 65, did not attend the Oscars. The win is Penn’s third Academy Award.
After Penn was declared the winner, Kieran Culkin said, “He couldn’t come here tonight, or he didn’t want to come.”
This isn’t the first time Penn has been a no-show at the Oscars. He has previously been nominated for the show three times when he was nominated for “Dead Man Walking” in 1996, “Sweet and Lowdown” in 2000 and “I’m Sam” in 2002. Penn also refused to attend the BAFTAs and Actor Awards this year.
Mykola Serha, founder and leader of Cultural Forces, an informal association of Ukrainian soldiers with creative professions formed to support military personnel through art and culture, told The Associated Press on Monday that PEN is in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a photo of his meeting with Penn on his social media on Monday with the message, “Because of you, Shawn, we know what a true friend of Ukraine is. You have been with Ukraine from the first day of full-scale war. And today. And we know you will stand with our country and our people.” In 2022, Penn gave Zelensky one of the Oscar statuettes.
In “One Battle After Another”, Penn plays Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw plays a calculating strategist whose decades of experience in political movements give him both influence and wounds. His character carries the weight of past triumphs and failures, providing sharp insight into what works quietly behind the scenes. The performance blends Penn’s trademark intensity with moments of restraint, delivering a standout performance among the film’s talented cast.
Penn attended after he previously won two Academy Awards for Best Actor for Clint Eastwood’s 2003 crime drama “Mystic River” and played San Francisco politician and LGBTQ rights pioneer Harvey Milk in Gus Van Sant’s 2008 biopic “Milk.”
The actor first gained attention in the 1980s with films such as “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” but he soon established himself as one of Hollywood’s most fearless dramatic actors. Over the decades he has given acclaimed performances in films such as “Dead Man Walking,” “Carlito’s Way,” “The Thin Red Line,” and “I Am Sam.”
Her performance in “One Battle After Another” adds another acclaimed role to a career defined by intense and transformative performances.
Other nominees included “Forest Battle” costars Benicio del Toro and Delroy Lindo for “Sinners,” Jacob Elordi for “Frankenstein” and Stellan Skarsgård for “Sentimental Value.”
Journalist Vasilisa Stepanenko in Kharkiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report.
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