Overview
- At the Tribeca Festival on Friday, Penn said he now refuses to join any "designated group" larger than eight people because such settings trigger anxiety and are "dread‑provoking."
- He said he deliberately scheduled a trip to Ukraine to overlap the 98th Academy Awards and watched the ceremony from Kyiv, where he has done sustained humanitarian work and met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
- Penn told the audience he informed Warner Bros. and his One Battle After Another colleagues in advance that he would not attend the Oscars and that they accepted his choice as better for his mental health.
- He reiterated a firm rejection of selfie culture, calling selfies harmful to both stars and fans and saying he will not pose for photos even in emotionally fraught situations.
- The comments build on Penn’s long record of activism in Ukraine and were followed earlier by a symbolic gift from Ukrainian Railways — an Oscar‑style statuette made from war‑damaged rail metal — and could prompt fresh debate over celebrity boundaries and awards‑season expectations.