Overview
- Penn did not attend the 98th Academy Awards in March and accepted the Best Supporting Actor prize in absentia for his role in One Battle After Another, marking his third Oscar.
- Instead of going to the ceremony, Penn traveled to Kyiv where he met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and was presented a bespoke statue made from the metal of a railway carriage damaged in the Russia–Ukraine war by Oleksandr Pertsovskyi of the Ukrainian state railway.
- Speaking at the Tribeca Film Festival in early June, Penn said award shows and large staged social events produce 'social discomfort' for him and that he has resolved to avoid preplanned gatherings of more than eight people for his mental health.
- He told co‑stars in advance that he would not attend the Oscars because it was better for his mental health and said he watched the ceremony remotely from Kyiv and 'really enjoyed' it.
- The episode highlights two threads of Penn’s public life: his long‑standing activism on behalf of Ukraine and a personal shift in how he engages with public ceremonies, which may change how high‑profile winners choose to attend future awards.