Sean Penn opted out of attending the 2026 Oscars and was in the Ukraine when his name was called as the winner of the best supporting actor prize for his performance as Colonel Lockjaw in Paul Thomas Anderson’s best picture-winning “One Battle After Another.” It was the third Oscar win of Penn’s career (following “Mystic River” and “Milk”). But it turns out he was still awarded a trophy, with a twist fitting of the actor’s activism efforts in the Ukraine.
In a video shared on social media by Ukrainian Railways CEO Oleksandr Pertsovskyi (via Entertainment Weekly), Penn is seen receiving an “IronOscar” in lieu of the real Oscar trophy he was not on hand to get in person. Pertsovskyi wrote in a caption: “Sean Penn opted for the trip to [Ukraine] vs. Oscar ceremony at Dolby Theater where he was awarded his 3rd. We couldn’t leave our great friend and loyal Ukrainian Raiwlays passenger without an award. So, I have presented Sean with our IronOscar on behalf of all of us!”
“That’s what your presence here means,” Pertsovskyi tells Penn in the video. “You’re missing the Oscars, so we made you this one. This is from a railcar that was damaged by the Russians. The metal survived, so it’s very special to us. It’s not golden, but it’s very real and from the bottom of our hearts.”
“These are all treasures,” Penn responds. “Thank you.”
A photo of the “IronOscar” reveals the following words engraved on the award: “This steel once carried millions of people away from war. Then a Russian missile came. We did not melt it into a weapon. We forged it into gratitude — for you. For your talent. For your courage to stand with Ukraine.”
Penn also earned praise Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy following his decision to skip the Oscars and be in the country instead. The Ukrainian leader posted a photo on X of the two men together and wrote: “Sean, thanks to you, we know what a true friend of Ukraine is. You have stood with Ukraine since the first day of the full-scale war. This is still true today. And we know that you will continue to stand with our country and our people.”
For his performance in “One Battle After Another,” Penn was also awarded the best supporting actor prize at the BAFTAs and the Actor Awards. He also did not attend either ceremony. At the Oscars, last year’s best supporting actor winner Kieran Culkin (“A Real Pain”) announced Penn’s victory and quipped: “Sean Penn couldn’t be here this evening — or didn’t want to, so I’ll be accepting the award on his behalf.”
Sean Penn opted for the trip to 🇺🇦 vs. Oscar ceremony at Dolby Theater where he was awarded his 3rd 🏆. We couldn’t leave our great friend and loyal Ukrainian Raiwlays passenger without an award. So, I have presented Sean with our IronOscar on behalf of all of us! pic.twitter.com/OLyzOY4h7L
— Oleksandr Pertsovskyi (@Pertsovskyi_O) March 17, 2026
