Sean Penn skips Oscars to visit Zelensky in war-torn Kiev after third win
Hollywood actor Sean Penn skipped the Oscars after winning Best Supporting Actor and visited Ukrainian President Zelensky in war-torn Kiev, showing his steadfast support for Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict.
Hollywood star Sean Penn made headlines after he skipped the Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles despite winning an Oscar that night. Instead of attending the gala event at the Dolby Theatre, the actor went to Kiev to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Penn, 65, won best supporting actor for his role in the political thriller one fight after another. However, he decided not to attend the ceremony and reached the Ukrainian capital on Monday morning.
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Ukraine’s state railway operator shared a short video showing Penn exiting a train in central Kiev. The operator said the trip was kept a secret until the last moment and later confirmed the news on social media, writing that the actor had opted to go to Ukraine instead of attending the Oscars.
Soon after, Zelensky shared a photo of their meeting at the presidential office in Kiev’s heavily guarded government district. The image showed the Ukrainian leader talking with Penn, who appeared to be in a casual T-shirt and jeans.
Thanking the actor for his continued support, Zelensky wrote on Telegram that Penn has stood with Ukraine since the early days of the war. He described the Oscar-winning actor as a “true friend of Ukraine.”
Penn has been a vocal supporter of the country during its ongoing war with Russia and has visited Ukraine several times in recent years. He also directed a documentary about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which premiered in February 2023.
In 2022, the actor also lent Zelensky one of his previous Oscar statuettes as a symbol of solidarity, and asked the Ukrainian leader to return it after the country won the war.