Sean Penn says he finally ‘got to enjoy’ the Oscars – by skipping them
Sean Penn says he finally ‘got to enjoy’ the Oscars – by skipping them
Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY Fri, June 5, 2026 at 10:48 PM UTC
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NEW YORK — Sean Penn dislikes parties so much, he'll literally go to a war zone to avoid them.
In March, the elusive A-lister and humanitarian won his third Oscar for Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another," in which he played the surly, leering Colonel Lockjaw. But Penn, 65, wasn't on hand to accept his trophy for best supporting actor, as he was in Ukraine meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
During an onstage conversation with CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins at Tribeca Festival June 5, the actor explained that he had already been planning to go to Ukraine this spring, but purposefully chose to time his visit to the Academy Awards telecast.
That ceremony "always represented social discomfort to me," Penn said, dressed casually in blue jeans, a bomber jacket and tee. Now, "I won't go anywhere to be with a designated group beyond eight people. If you cut out two hours for your night, it gives you 15 minutes per person."
Any more than that, he added, "is just anxiety- and dread-inducing."
Sean Penn attends the "One Battle After Another" New York screening at The Film Society of Lincoln Center on Sept. 21, 2025, in New York.
Penn has won two best actor Oscars in the past, for 2003's "Mystic River" and 2008's "Milk." During those ceremonies, "the best I could ever muster was relief," because he knew a lot of people involved with those films were rooting for him.
But his experience of going to the Golden Globes in January convinced him that he wanted to sit out the rest of the awards season.
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On top of the small talk and glad-handing, there's "all the selfies," Penn said. "People should not do selfies with anyone ever. It's bad for you. … The Holocaust grandmother and her 6-year-old paraplegic [grandson] wheeling over? A hard no."
Penn said that he informed Warner Bros. and his "One Battle" colleagues ahead of time that he wouldn't be attending the Oscars, and "everybody understood. They know me, and they felt that it was better for my mental health."
The "I Am Sam" star still watched the Oscars from Ukraine, where the broadcast started around 2 a.m. and ended at about 5 a.m.
"Having only felt relief a couple other times, I got to be excited watching the awards," Penn said. "I really got to enjoy the Academy Awards for the first time. It was great."
Throughout the roughly hour-long talk, Penn spoke with Collins about his career beginnings, passion for carpentry, and work as both a director and activist. Asked if he has "mellowed" over the years, the notoriously intense actor said that he believes he's gotten more thoughtful and intentional about what he does.
"I haven't had a yelling match with anyone in four years," Penn added playfully. That's because "I have not listened to anyone yell for more than two seconds before I walk away."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sean Penn reveals why he skipped the Oscars for his 'mental health'
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
