Sean Penn has been presented with an Oscar fashioned from the metal of a Ukrainian railway carriage damaged by Russian missiles. The actor skipped the Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles to travel to Ukraine, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The flat, silver statue was given to him by Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, CEO of Ukrainian railways, who told Penn: “You’re missing Oscars, so we made this one.” He added: “It’s not golden but it’s very real and from the bottom of our hearts.”
Penn missed Sunday evening’s ceremony, where he won his third Oscar for best supporting actor in One Battle After Another, which also took best director and best picture. His absence was unexplained on the night, but it later emerged he had flown to Ukraine late last week and was photographed in central Kyiv on Monday wearing sunglasses and carrying a box of cigarettes.
President Zelenskyy posted a picture of their meeting in his office. Penn had previously loaned one of his Oscars to the president in 2022, saying: “This is for you. It’s just a symbolic silly thing, but if I know this is here with you then I’ll feel better and stronger for the fight. When you win, bring it back to Malibu.”
Penn has visited the country frequently since Russia’s invasion four years ago, and made a documentary about Zelenskyy in 2023. His previous Oscars were for Mystic River (2004) and Milk (2009). He also won a Bafta for One Battle Against Another in February, but was absent from that ceremony as well.
