Sean Penn received an “Oscar” made from the metal of a broken Ukrainian railway carriage detonated by Russian missile fire, days after he won the actual award but skipped the real-life ceremony.
The replica statue — shaped like the legitimate golden statuette but metal-coloured and flat — was presented to the actor by Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, CEO of Ukrainian Railways, who told Penn, “You’re missing Oscars, so we made this one.”
“It’s not golden but it’s very real and from the bottom of our hearts,” Pertsovskyi told Penn.
“These are all treasures, thank you,” the actor responded.
Footage of the exchange was posted on Instagram by Ukrainian Railways.
Penn, 65, won the Oscar for best supporting actor in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, but did not attend Sunday’s ceremony. The win was the third in Penn’s career, having previously taken home the Academy Award for best actor in Mystic River (2004) and Milk (2009).
One Battle After Another won six awards in total, including best director and best picture.
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The reason for Penn’s absence from the ceremony came to light on Monday when photographs of him walking in the street in Kyiv, Ukraine, emerged online. A senior Ukrainian official told AFP the actor was in Ukraine to show support to the war-torn country.
On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared a photograph of himself and the actor on X. In the post, he wrote, “Sean, thanks to you, we know what a true friend of Ukraine is.”
“You have stood with Ukraine since the first day of the full-scale war. This is still true today. And we know that you will continue to stand with our country and our people.”
Penn has been a vocal advocate for Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2024 and a staunch supporter of Zelenskyy from the start of the war, and has visited the country multiple times in the past four years.
In 2022, as a gesture of goodwill, Penn loaned one of his Oscars to the president, telling him, “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. I’ll feel much better knowing a piece of me is here.”
Zelenskyy called the Oscars rtrophy “a symbol of faith in the victory of our country,” and has posted several images of the pair in Ukraine together since then, where he thanked the decorated actor for documenting “the events in our country” and telling “the world the truth about Russian aggression.”
In February, Penn won a BAFTA for his role in One Battle After Another, but was not at the ceremony.
He was also nominated for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture at the Golden Globes, where he was in attendance.
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