Sean Penn receives war-metal Oscar in Ukraine after skipping ceremony

Sean Penn has received a powerful tribute in Ukraine following his latest Academy Award win, an honorary Oscar statuette crafted from metal salvaged from a train damaged during the ongoing war.

The 65-year-old actor, who recently won Best Supporting Actor for his role in One Battle After Another, was presented with the symbolic award on March 17 in Kyiv.

The unique statuette was crafted from materials salvaged from a railcar destroyed during the Russia-Ukraine War.

The presentation was led by Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, head of Ukrainian Railways, who told Penn the piece was made in recognition of his absence from the Oscars ceremony.

“You’re missing Oscars… so we made this one,” he said, noting the metal’s origins from a war-damaged train.

Penn did not attend the March 15 ceremony in Los Angeles, where fellow actor Kieran Culkin accepted the award on his behalf.

Instead, Penn had traveled to Ukraine, continuing his long-standing support for the country amid the conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also acknowledged Penn’s visit, sharing a message of gratitude and calling him a “true friend of Ukraine.”

The actor has been an outspoken advocate for the country since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

This is not the first time Penn has linked his Oscar legacy to Ukraine.

In 2023, he gifted one of his previous Academy Award statuettes to Zelenskyy as a gesture of solidarity.

Penn has three Oscar wins, including earlier Best Actor victories for Mystic River and Milk.