Sean Penn gets an Oscar made from metal from a blown-up Ukrainian train after skipping the ceremony to visit Kyiv

Sean Penn received a special kind of Oscar in Ukraine after he missed the chance to accept his Best Supporting Actor Academy Award at this year's ceremony.

The actor, 65, won the gong for his performance in One Battle After Another but he was not in attendance at the ceremony because he chose to travel to Ukraine.

Sean was pictured walking down a street in Kyiv on Monday before meeting with the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky at his office in the city during the afternoon.

Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, the CEO of Ukrainian Railways, did not want the actor going back to America empty-handed and so gifted him with a homemade Oscar. 

Mr. Pertsovskyi called it an 'IronOscar' as it was made from a railcar damaged by the Russians in the ongoing war. 

In a video shared to X, he told Sean: 'You're missing the Oscar. Plus, you gave the last one to the president. So, we made this one. 

'You said the metals survived, so we put some words here that are very  special to us. It's not golden, but it's very real, and it's from the bottom of our hearts. It's important to us.'

Looking emotional, Sean gave Mr. Pertsovskyi a hug and said: 'These are all treasures, thank you.'

In the caption, Mr. Pertsovskyi added: 'Sean Penn opted for the trip to [Ukraine] vs. Oscar ceremony at Dolby Theater where he was awarded his 3rd [Oscar]. 

'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!'

On the back of the homemade Oscar is the enscription: '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.' 

Sean is a strong advocate for Ukraine and has visited the country several times, including to film a documentary about Zelensky when Russia invaded the country. 

The film, an admiring portrait of Zelensky about his rise from comedian to war leader when Russia invaded in 2022, premiered at the Berlin film festival in 2023.

Through their interviews, Sean and Zelensky built up what they both called a close friendship.

'We can say that he's in Ukraine, but it's his personal visit; that's how he sees it, that he needs to be in Ukraine,' a Ukrainian official told AFP, adding: 'He just wants to support Ukraine.' 

In 2025, Sean and rock star Bono made an impassioned plea for the West to stand by Ukraine at the Cannes film festival, posing for pictures on the red carpet with Ukrainian soldiers.

Sean's absence from the Oscars infuriated X users, who suggested that future shows cease awarding trophies to winners who are not present. 

They wrote: 'There should be a rule that whoever doesn't show up because they don't give a s**t about the award doesn't get it either, like in a raffle. Didn't come? Next on the list, please. [An] exception would be for health reasons. Sean Penn doesn't give a damn about this award,';

'I can't stop thinking: What the F**K did Sean Penn have better to do than go to the Oscars???' one inquired. 

'Unless you have a good reason not to be in attendance, if you can't be bothered to show up to the Oscars, your award should go to the runner-up. Sean Penn. This is about Sean Penn,';

'It pisses me off when someone wins an #Oscars and doesn't even show up. Sean Penn couldn't care less about that award,'; 

'Sure give Sean Penn a third Oscar when he didn't even bother to show up and everyone else in that category deserved it too...';

'Sean Penn won "Best Supporting Actor," who isn't present because he couldn't care less since this is already his third Oscar HAHAJAJAJA,'; 

'Sean Penn not showing up to the Oscars knowing he's going to win is such a prick move.'

He has previously missed out on past Oscars where he had been a nominee and also did not attend this year's BAFTAs and the Actor Awards, where he ended up reigning victorious.

Kieran Culkin, who was announcing the gong, cracked a joke about Penn's absence when the star ended up winning.    

'Sean Penn couldn't be here this evening or didn't want to, so I'll be accepting the award on his behalf,' the Succession star joked.