Oscars 2026: Why Sean Penn missed the ceremony after tying record for most awards by a male actor
The actor made history but was reportedly travelling in Europe
Dubai: Sean Penn made history at the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday night, winning Best Supporting Actor for One Battle After Another and becoming only the fourth man in Oscar history to win three acting awards. He was not in the room to hear it.
Instead, last year's winner Kieran Culkin walked up to the stage to accept the award on Penn's behalf, delivering what may be the most matter-of-fact line of the entire ceremony: "Sean Penn couldn't be here this evening or didn't want to. So I'll be accepting this award on his behalf."
Where exactly is Sean Penn?
Nobody is entirely sure. According to the New York Times, Penn had "headed to Europe" and, as of late last week, his plan was to visit Ukraine, according to two people who spoke on condition of anonymity. Those same sources did not specify what he would be doing there or where precisely within the country he was going, and noted his itinerary may have changed. His representative declined to comment.
What is clear is that this was not a one-off. Penn also skipped the Actor Awards and the BAFTAs this awards season, two of the most important stops on the campaign trail. Both absences left his momentum unseized at crucial moments, and heading into Sunday night, one of the biggest questions surrounding the ceremony was simply whether he would show up at all.
What makes the win historic
Penn's win for his role as Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw in One Battle After Another, described as a vivid and chilling portrait of contemporary American authoritarianism, is actually his first Oscar for a supporting performance. His two previous wins were both in the lead actor category: Mystic River in 2004 and Milk in 2009. With three wins, he ties the all-time record for male acting wins, joining Jack Nicholson, Walter Brennan, and Daniel Day-Lewis.
The road to the win was not straightforward. Penn lost the Critics Choice Award to Jacob Elordi for Frankenstein and the Golden Globe to Stellan Skarsgard for Sentimental Value. He also faced strong competition from his One Battle After Another co-star Benicio Del Toro, who had won several critics awards in the lead-up to the ceremony, and from Sinners scene-stealer Delroy Lindo, who was considered a genuine wildcard for an upset. Penn ultimately pulled ahead after winning both the BAFTA and the Actor Awards, the two precursor groups with the most overlap in Academy voting membership.
What Penn said about his fellow nominees
Despite not attending, Penn had spoken warmly about the experience of being in the category. In a Hollywood Reporter cover story last month, he reflected on watching career highlight reels play for Del Toro, Leonardo DiCaprio, and himself at a special screening.
"There's a part of you that never leaves the theater seat where you were 17," he said. "You're watching your heroes up there. And then, suddenly, you're sitting next to people who've become that for someone else."
Areeba Hashmi is a trainee at Gulf News.
