One Battle After Another Star Wins Best Supporting Actor at This Year’s Academy Awards

Sean Penn skipped the 2026 Academy Awards for mental health reasons, despite winning Best Supporting Actor for his role in One Battle After Another. In a June 5, 2026, interview at the Tribeca Festival, Penn explained that large public gatherings trigger anxiety, leading him to deliberately schedule a trip to Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the ceremony.

Why did Sean Penn skip the 2026 Oscars?

Sean Penn opted out of the 98th Academy Awards because the event has “always represented social discomfort” to him, according to reports from ABC News and Deadline. During a conversation with CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins on June 5, 2026, Penn detailed a strict personal limit on the size of groups he is willing to join to manage his anxiety.

Penn stated that he avoids any designated group larger than eight people. He explained his reasoning through a specific calculation: if a person has two hours for an evening, a group of eight allows for 15 minutes of attention per person. According to Penn, any gathering exceeding that number is “just anxiety- and dread-provoking.”

This decision marked a significant shift in how the actor handles professional recognition. While he was absent from the theater, he told Deadline that he actually enjoyed the experience of watching the awards on television, noting that it was the first time he truly got to enjoy the ceremony.

What did Sean Penn do instead of attending the ceremony?

Penn spent the evening of the Oscars in Ukraine, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. According to Yahoo, Penn has spent significant time in the country since the Russian invasion began in 2022.

While in the country, Penn was recognized by Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukraine’s state rail group. The organization presented him with a symbolic award designed to look like an Oscar, but constructed from the metal of a railway car that had been damaged by Russian shelling. The railway group described the gift as a “symbol of resilience.”

How does this differ from his previous Oscar wins?

This is the third Oscar win for Penn, following his previous Best Actor victories for Mystic River and Milk. However, the emotional experience of this win differed from his earlier successes. Penn told ABC News that after his previous wins, his primary emotion was relief, which he attributed to the expectations placed upon him during those award seasons.

The actor identified a specific turning point earlier in 2026. After attending the Golden Globe Awards—an event he noted he had never attended previously—Penn decided that he could no longer participate in the awards circuit. This realization led him to step away from all remaining ceremonies that year.

What was the outcome for One Battle After Another?

Despite Penn’s absence, One Battle After Another was a major success at the 98th Academy Awards. The film won a total of six awards, including Best Picture, according to ABC News. Penn earned his Best Supporting Actor trophy for his portrayal of Col. Steven J. Lockjaw.

Penn noted that his teammates on the production were supportive of his decision to skip the event. He told Deadline that the team understood his choice and felt it was better for his mental health.

Knowing that I wasn’t going to do that anymore, I did one before that this year. I went to the Golden Globes. I’d never been to that before and that’s where I decided, ‘I can’t do this,’

Sean Penn via ABC News