Sean Penn won the best supporting actor Oscar Sunday night for his portrayal of the ruthless, racist Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw in Paul Thomas Anderson's “One Battle After Another.”
However, Penn was not present at the ceremony, which became the subject of jokes by Kieran Culkin and Conan O'Brien.
“We have a Sean Penn 'absence,'” O'Brien said. “Stay tuned.”
According to a New York Times report, Penn left for Europe, where his plan was to visit Ukraine. Penn has notably supported Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, even giving him one of his Oscar statuettes in 2022.
The win marks the third Academy Award for Penn, 65, and his first in the supporting category. He previously won the Oscar for best actor for “Mystic River” (2003) and “Milk” (2008), and had been nominated three other times for leading roles before this year. He beat out fellow nominees Benicio Del Toro for “One Battle After Another,” Jacob Elordi for “Frankenstein,” Delroy Lindo for “Sinners” and Stellan Skarsgård for “Sentimental Value.”
With his win, Penn joins Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson, Ingrid Bergman, Daniel Day-Lewis, Frances McDormand and Walter Brennan as three-time acting Oscar winners. Katharine Hepburn is the only four-time winner as an actress.
Penn, who delivers a volatile, darkly comic performance in Anderson's sprawling political thriller, emerged as the front-runner in the race after a surprise victory at the BAFTA Awards and the Actor Awards, whose voting body largely overlaps with the film academy.
Host Culkin accepted the award on Penn's behalf. “Sean Penn couldn't be here tonight, or didn't want to, so I'll accept on his behalf.” Culkin said.
