Sean Penn wins supporting actor Oscar for ‘One Battle After Another’

Sean Penn won the supporting actor Oscar on Sunday night for his performance as the ruthless, racist Col. Steven J. Lockjaw in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another.”

However, Penn was not present for the ceremony, which became the subject of jokes from Kieran Culkin and Conan O’Brien.

“We have a ‘no show’ from Sean Penn,” O’Brien said. “Stay tuned.”

According to a report by the New York Times, Penn left to Europe, where his plan was to visit Ukraine. Penn has notably supported Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, even giving him one of his Oscars statuettes in 2022.

The win marks the third Academy Award for the 65-year-old Penn and his first in the supporting category. He previously earned lead actor Oscars for “Mystic River” (2003) and “Milk” (2008), and had been nominated three other times in 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 victory, Penn joins Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson, Ingrid Bergman, Daniel Day-Lewis, Frances McDormand and Walter Brennan as three-time Oscar winners for acting. Katharine Hepburn is the only four-time acting winner.

Penn, who delivers a volatile, darkly comic performance in Anderson’s sprawling political thriller, emerged as the race’s front-runner after a surprise victory at the BAFTA Awards and the Actor Awards, whose voting body overlaps heavily with the motion picture academy.

Presenter Culkin accepted the award on Penn’s behalf. “Sean Penn couldn’t be here this evening — or didn’t want to, so I’ll be accepting on his behalf.” Culkin said.