Main points
- Sean Penn received an iron “Oscar” from Ukrzaliznytsia, made from the steel of a damaged train car.
- The actor skipped the awards ceremony to support Ukraine during a visit to Kyiv.
Sean Penn / Channel 24 collage, photo Getty Images, screenshot from video
American actor Sean Penn has once again visited Ukraine and confirmed his clear position in support of our people. Due to his visit to Kyiv, the actor missed the Oscars ceremony.
Sean Penn was not left without the statuette, which he was supposed to receive on March 16 in Los Angeles. Instead, he was presented with an iron “Oscar” from Ukrzaliznytsia. The video was published on the Instagram page.
Oleksandr Pertsovsky, Chairman of the Board of Ukrzaliznytsia, presented Sean Penn with an iron statuette similar to the one received by Oscar winners. It is made from the steel of a train car that was damaged by Russian shelling.
These are all real treasures, thank you,
– Sean Penn replied.
Sean Penn received a special gift from Ukraine: video
“Thank you for supporting Ukraine, for being there and choosing to be here with us. And this award is not limited to achievements in cinema – it recognizes the resilience, humanity, and courage that keeps us all moving,” they added in the caption to the video.
It should be noted that this is not the first time Sean Penn has sacrificed an Oscar for Ukraine. In November 2022, he presented one of his statuettes to Volodymyr Zelensky as a symbol of faith in Ukraine's victory, writes the BBC.
How does Sean Penn support Ukraine?
- The American actor has been supporting Ukraine since the first days of the full-scale Russian invasion. He has already visited Kyiv several times during the great war. On February 24, 2022, Sean Penn was also in Ukraine. He was working on a film about Volodymyr Zelensky, but instead the film was transformed into a film about the events of the war in Ukraine. The premiere took place at the Berlinale 2023.
- Sean Penn also starred in Myroslav Slaboshpytsky's Ukrainian film anthology “War Through the Eyes of Animals.” The actor's fee was $1 – because according to the rules of the Screen Actors Guild of America, he cannot work for free.
- Sean Penn returned to Ukraine in March of this year. He skipped the Oscars for an unannounced visit. Sean Penn won the Best Supporting Actor award for his role in the film “One Battle After Another.”