Activist actor Sean Penn raised eyebrows for skipping the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday, especially after he won the award for Best Supporting Actor in “One Battle After Another.” It was later revealed that Penn was in Ukraine at the time.
Per <a href="https://pagesix.com/2026/03/18/entertainment/sean-penn-awarded-oscar-forged-from-war-damaged-train-in-ukraine-after-skipping-ceremony/">Page Six,</a> Penn was meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Monday, and while he was there, he was given a flat, Oscar-shaped statue made out of forged metal from a destroyed railcar.
Ukrainian Railways CEO Oleksandr Pertsovskyi shared a video of Penn receiving the “IronOscar” on X. 
“You’re missing the Oscars,” Pertsovskyi told Penn. “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.”
Penn hugged Pertsovskyi and said, “These are all treasures, thank you.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Sean Penn opted for the trip to 🇺🇦 vs. Oscar ceremony at Dolby Theater where he was awarded his 3rd 🏆. We couldn&#8217;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! <a href="https://t.co/OLyzOY4h7L">pic.twitter.com/OLyzOY4h7L</a>
— Oleksandr Pertsovskyi (@Pertsovskyi_O) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pertsovskyi_O/status/2033873846546153537?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The iron Oscar-shaped statue says on the back, “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.”
Academy Awards presenter Kieran Culkin joked during Sunday’s broadcast about Penn not being there after announcing he had won.  “Sean Penn couldn’t be here this evening, or didn’t want to, so I’ll be accepting the award on his behalf,” Culkin said from the stage.
In 2022, Penn <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sean-penn-threatens-to-smelt-his-own-oscars-if-academy-nixes-zelensky-speech">threatened</a> to “smelt” his Oscar if the Academy Awards planners said no to a virtual appearance by the Ukrainian president, plus encouraged other celebrities to boycott the ceremony. 
Penn later gave his Oscars statue to Zelensky.
“I feel terrible. This is for you. It’s just a symbolic silly thing, but if I know this is here with you then I’ll feel better and stronger for the fight,” he <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/nov/09/sean-penn-gives-oscar-to-ukraine-president-zelenskiy">said</a> at the time. “When you win, bring it back to Malibu. I’ll feel much better knowing a piece of me is here.”

Sean Penn

Sean Penn Skipped The Oscars, What He Received Was Far More Symbolic

Academy Awards

Celebrities

Entertainment

Hollywood

Oscars

Ukraine

Workers on the set of “The Gun on Second Street,” a film that had Sean Penn and California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell listed as executive producers, walked off in protest while attempting to negotiate a union contract.
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) claimed that a “majority” of the crew, about 40 people, left the set in West Virginia, <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/crew-strike-movie-sean-penn-eric-swalwell-1236454289/">per</a> The Hollywood Reporter. IATSE reported that the striking crew members were seeking set wages, health benefits, and pensions, but had, up to that point, “been misclassified as 1099 independent contractors rather than employees.”
“Every production, regardless of budget or political connections, must respect the rights of the people who make film and television possible,” IATSE international president Matthew Loeb said. “The Alliance is prepared to support this crew as they take collective action to secure safe working conditions, fair compensation, proper classification and a voice on the job.”
The move apparently <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/crew-strike-movie-sean-penn-eric-swalwell-1236454289/">prompted</a> Penn’s Projected Picture Works and its partners to remove their names from the film.
The film’s producers released a statement disputing these allegations. “We have compensated our production crew well for their time,” the producers said. “However, we will not attempt to resolve our differences with the union through the press. Therefore, we have no further comment.”
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Swalwell added in a statement that he had no involvement in the business decisions, THR noted, and threatened to remove his name from the project. 
“I am a lifelong supporter of labor,” the congressman added. “While I am prohibited by Congressional ethics rules from participating in the negotiations between production and labor, I joined the film expecting labor standards would be adhered to. I urge the production team to seek a fair outcome for the crew. Should that not be achieved, I will remove my name from the film’s screen credits.”
“The Gun on Second Street” is being pitched as “an allegory of the gun crisis in the United States.” The film, written and directed by Rohit Karn Batra (“Line of Descent”), follows two police officers in Pittsburgh. Drama ensues when one of them accidentally kills the other while responding to a domestic violence call. He leaves the force, only to fall in love with his deceased partner’s widow years later.

Penn and Swalwell

Crew Walks Off Set Of Anti-Gun Film Backed By Sean Penn And Eric Swalwell

Crew Walks Off Set of Anti-Gun Film Backed by Eric Swalwell, Sean Penn

Eric Swalwell

Movies

strike

Comedian Bill Maher went off on Sean Penn, who was a guest on his “Club Random” podcast uploaded to YouTube on Sunday, for his refusal to dine with President Donald Trump despite having met with Cuban dictator Fidel Castro and Venezuelan Marxist President Hugo Chavez.
During their conversation, Maher said, “But you do, I hope, think I did the right thing to have dinner with him.”
“Absolutely, you’re so smart,” Penn said, but then clarified he would not accept a dinner invitation from Trump.
“Really, you meet with f***ing Castro and Hugo Chavez, but not the President of the United States?” Maher shot back.
“I saw good results come out of some of those things,” Penn said of meeting with the controversial world leaders. “I just personally wouldn’t trust anything that was said in the room [with Trump], including the personality.”
“It’s like saying, ‘I don’t want this medical test because I don’t want to know.’ I want to know,” Maher replied.
Penn also said he wished Maher’s dinner with Trump had not been perceived as “successful.”
“Well, it was less successful because I never stopped saying all the things I’ve always said about him,” Maher responded. “It would’ve been successful if he had somehow seduced me into supporting him, so it wasn’t successful.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Sean Penn | Club Random" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2c3CGVCHgFs?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Maher has been under attack from leftists for dining with Trump. He said earlier this year that while he “didn’t go MAGA,” all of the things he disliked about Trump’s more public persona had been “absent” when they met in person.
“And I know as I say that, millions of liberal sphincters just tightened. ‘Oh, my God, Bill, you gonna say something nice about him?’ What I’m gonna do is report exactly what happened. You decide what you think about it, and if that’s not enough pure Trump hate for you, I don’t give a f***,” Maher said of the meeting, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/larry-david-whines-about-bill-maher-giving-donald-trump-a-chance-with-trite-hitler-comparison">reported</a>.
“I don’t remember exactly what we were talking about, but it must have been something with the 2020 election because I know he used the word ‘lost,’ and I distinctly remember saying, ‘Wow, I never thought I’d hear you say that,’” Maher added. “He didn’t get mad. He’s much more self-aware than he lets on in public.”
“Everything I’ve ever not liked about him was — I swear to God — absent, at least on this night with this guy,” the “Real Time” host said. “He mostly steered the conversation to, ‘What do you think about this?’ I know: your mind is blown. So is mine.”
“A crazy person doesn’t live in the White House,” he added. “A person who plays a crazy person on TV a lot lives there, which I know is f***ed up. It’s just not as f***ed up as I thought it was.”

Bill Maher Sean Penn

Bill Maher Scolds Sean Penn For Refusing Hypothetical ‘Dinner With Trump’

Bill Maher

Donald Trump

Fidel Castro

U.S.

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/sean-penn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sean Penn</a> is defending President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden, who</a> issued a sweeping <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/pardon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pardon</a> for his son, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/hunter-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hunter Biden,</a> for more than a decade’s worth of crimes despite repeatedly promising he wouldn’t.
The activist actor, who is a friend of Hunter&#8217;s, attributed Biden’s pardon to Donald Trump&#8217;s re-election and spoke highly of Hunter’s character.
“I do not believe that Joe Biden, had he won the presidency, would have pardoned his son,” Penn told <a href="https://variety.com/2024/film/festivals/sean-penn-donald-trump-hunter-biden-1236233695/">Variety.</a> “I don’t think it was a lie; I think it was a change of mind and circumstance.”
The Hollywood star also said he was “proud” of Biden’s decision. “Any father that didn’t do that would have been remiss,” Penn told the outlet. “I don’t know if I want to have a beer with somebody who wouldn’t have pardoned Hunter Biden, being their son.”
The actor also said he hopes to see more presidential pardons during Biden&#8217;s remaining time as president.
“It ain’t January yet,” he said. “[So] I hope that it is also in President Biden’s intentions to [offer] an ongoing concerted focus on people who have been wrongfully charged, overcharged, where the extenuating circumstances have not been fairly considered, and that there will be many more pardons that are better for the world than leaving people to toil in prison.”
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Penn went on to call Hunter “one of the finest people I know.”
“This is a guy who has taken on the most severe addiction, and has so much to offer people who are suffering or families who are suffering through that,” he added. “I’m glad that the possibility is there now that he’ll have the time and space to be able to offer that support to people, which I know is what he wants to do.”
Biden became the first president in history to pardon his own child. Hunter had previously been convicted on three felony counts of lying on paperwork for the purchase of a revolver and owning the firearm while being a drug addict in 2018.
Hunter also pleaded guilty to several federal charges related to tax crimes right before a second trial was to begin in Los Angeles, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/joe-return-to-normalcy-biden-becomes-the-first-u-s-president-to-pardon-his-own-child">reported</a>. He was expected to be sentenced for gun and tax evasion crimes later in December and could have been sent to prison.  
The pardon covered any and all crimes Hunter “committed or may have committed” for an 11-year period dating back to 2014. The move is being criticized by Republicans and many Democrats, with plenty of prominent figures citing it as another example of corruption in the Biden family.

Sean Penn Defends Hunter Biden Pardon, Calls Him ‘One Of The Finest People’ He Knows

Sean Penn Defends Hunter Biden Pardon, Calls Him 'One Of The Finest People' He Knows

Executive

Hunter Biden

Joe Biden

Pardon

Politics

Academy Award-winning actor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sean-penn-abandoned-his-car-walking-miles-to-the-polish-border-to-escape-russian-invasion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sean Penn</a> revealed in a recent interview what he would have done if he had been president of the United States in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
In the <a href="https://variety.com/2023/film/features/sean-penn-slams-will-smith-slap-ai-oscars-1235720417/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a>, published this week by entertainment outlet Variety, Penn suggested that he would have hunted down the perpetrators of the devastating attack, no matter what the consequences for himself personally.
&#8220;I’d have let White House counsel know that they are on vacation,&#8221; Penn said. &#8220;I’m not consulting with them. If I have to go to prison, I’ll go, but I’m going to kill them. I’m killing everyone that did this. But only them. And we know where the f*** they are.&#8221;
Penn&#8217;s most recent project – scheduled for a September 18 release – is a documentary on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky titled &#8220;Superpower.&#8221; And he let it be known in the interview that he was still angry that the Academy <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sean-penn-threatens-to-smelt-his-own-oscars-if-academy-nixes-zelensky-speech" target="_blank" rel="noopener">refused</a> to allow Zelensky a platform during the 2022 awards show.
&#8220;The Oscars producer thought, &#8216;Oh, he’s not light-hearted enough.&#8217; Well, guess what you got instead? Will Smith!&#8221; Penn said. &#8220;I don’t know Will Smith. I met him once. He seemed very nice when I met him. He was so f***ing good in &#8216;King Richard.&#8217; So why the f*** did you just spit on yourself and everybody else with this stupid f***ing thing? Why did I go to f***ing jail for what you just did? And you’re still sitting there? Why are you guys standing and applauding his worst moment as a person?&#8221;
Penn, who once spent 33 days in the clink for punching someone, spoke from experience – and he said that was when he was truly finished with the Oscars, even his own.
&#8220;I thought, well, f***, you know? I’ll give them to Ukraine. They can be melted down to bullets they can shoot at the Russians,&#8221; he said.
The actor also weighed in on the ongoing strikes – involving both the writers and actors unions — and made a shocking point about the studios&#8217; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/studios-load-up-on-ai-specialists-as-actors-writers-remain-on-picket-line" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plans to use AI</a> in the future.
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Referring to the entire scenario as &#8220;an indecent proposal,&#8221; Penn explained, &#8220;So you want my scans and voice data and all that. OK, here’s what I think is fair: I want your daughter’s, because I want to create a virtual replica of her and invite my friends over to do whatever we want in a virtual party right now. Would you please look at the camera and tell me you think that’s cool?&#8221;
&#8220;That they would do that and not be taken to task for it is insulting. This is a real exposé on morality — a lack of morality,&#8221; he said.

“Flag Day” Press Conference – The 74th Annual Cannes Film Festival

‘If I Have To Go To Prison, I’ll Go’: Sean Penn Reveals What He Would Have Done After 9/11

'If I Have To Go To Prison, I'll Go': Sean Penn Reveals What He Would Have Done After 9/11

Global Politics

Volodymyr Zelensky

World

Avowed leftist <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/sean-penn">Sean Penn</a> has a strong position when it comes to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/covid-19-vaccine">unvaccinated</a> people and how they should behave. 
The 62-year-old <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/celebrities">actor</a> recently made his feelings known while speaking with <a href="https://twitter.com/CatchUpNetwork/status/1604383058597097473">Extra</a>. When asked by the interviewer how he felt about “anti-vaccine rhetoric,” Penn replied, “It’s a cowardice of conviction. I think that it is an unwillingness to engage in a culture of common sense. That at this point, it seems criminal to me, actually.”
He continued: “I really feel that if someone chooses not to be vaccinated, that they should choose to stay home. Not go to work. Not have a job. As long as we’re all paying for these streets, we gotta ride safely on them. And so I’m just hopeful that the mindset will change.”
Penn said “leadership” seems to be on board but hopes to get “everyone on the same page” about COVID vaccines. 
His statements come on the heels of a report which found that the majority of individuals who contracted COVID and died were vaccinated. 
As The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/report-vaccinated-now-make-up-majority-of-covid-deaths">reported</a>, an analysis performed by The Washington Post’s Health 202 found that 58% of coronavirus fatalities in August occurred in instances where the person was vaccinated against COVID or had received a booster. This figure has more than doubled since September of last year.
“We can no longer say this is a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” Cynthia Cox, vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation, told the Post. 
It’s estimated that 80% of the U.S. population was vaccinated as of October. Of those, 68% are fully vaccinated, and 34% received boosters.
Meanwhile, Penn has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sean-penn-compares-mandatory-vaccines-to-drivers-licenses-james-woods-snaps-or-proof-of-citizenship-to-vote">advocated</a> for mandatory vaccinations in the past, likening the shot to getting a driver’s license.
“This is one of those things that should be mandatory,” the “I Am Sam” actor told Yahoo Entertainment last year.
Penn spoke about how vaccine hesitancy was frustrating for him.
“A resistance that’s just based on a certain kind of … lack of imagination and understanding of anything that’s helpful to the human race, I’ve become very frustrated by that. But I can only work within my own bounds and say that, for me, it should be mandatory,” he told the publication.

Sean Penn Visits Vienna

Sean Penn Says Being Unvaccinated Is ‘Criminal’ And Those People Shouldn’t Leave Their Homes

Sean Penn Says Being Unvaccinated Is 'Criminal' And Those People Shouldn't Leave Their Homes

COVID-19 Vaccine

Vaccine Mandate

Actor Sean Penn said he’s considering Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky’s plea for foreigners to help the country defend themselves against an invasion. The 61-year-old star revealed in an <a href="https://hollywoodauthentic.com/sean-penn/">interview</a> that he’s been thinking about “taking up arms” against Russia.
&#8220;The only possible reason for me staying in Ukraine longer last time would’ve been for me to be holding a rifle, probably without body armor, because as a foreigner, you would want to give that body armor to one of the civilian fighters who doesn’t have it or to a fighter with more skills than I have, or to a younger man or woman who could fight for longer or whatever,&#8221; Penn told Hollywood Authentic. &#8220;So, where I am in life is short of doing that, but if you’ve been in Ukraine [fighting] has to cross your mind. And you kind of think what century is this? Because I was at the gas station in Brentwood the other day and I’m now thinking about taking up arms against Russia? What the f*** is going on?&#8221;
This wouldn’t be the first time Penn inserted himself into the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. The Daily Wire <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/actor-sean-penn-is-in-ukraine-filming-a-russian-invasion-documentary-as-it-unfolds/">reported</a> that the “Mystic River” actor was in Ukraine filming a documentary about the Russian invasion as it was happening. While there, he met with government officials including  Zelensky to see how he could assist.
Zelensky shared a video to social media of his meeting with Penn. The caption said, “The more people know about the war in Ukraine, the more chances there are to stop Russia.”
Penn had a lot of praise for Zelensky’s leadership during the conflict. 
&#8220;So, seeing Zelensky the day before invasion, I would say, it serves to reason that he would not have felt fully tested. And then seeing him the next day, it struck me that I was now looking at a guy who knew that he had to rise to the ultimate level of human courage and leadership. I think he found out that he was born to do that,&#8221; the activist actor said.
He continued, saying his &#8220;intention is to go back into Ukraine” but at the same time says he’s &#8220;not certain what I can offer.&#8221; 
&#8220;I don’t spend a lot of time texting the president or his staff while they’re under siege and their people are being murdered. I’d probably send one message through the chief of staff. ‘Here’s what I’m looking to do that I think would be of value. You only have to answer me in one of two ways: don’t come or come and do what you’re planning, or come, but here’s where you could be more helpful,'&#8221; Penn told Hollywood Authentic.
&#8220;People will argue this, and there’s a million debates that I understand, but long term, we don’t have any tangible evidence that documentaries really change anything. We just don’t. We only know they can give hope,&#8221; he said.
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Sean Penn Says He’s ‘Thinking About Taking Up Arms Against Russia’ To Help Ukraine

Actor and director Sean Penn said Saturday that if the Academy Awards planners said no to a virtual appearance by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, people should consider boycotting the awards show altogether.
During an appearance with CNN&#8217;s Jim Acosta, Penn — who is currently in Warsaw, Poland — said that if producers turned down the chance to have Zelensky appear, it would be &#8220;the most obscene moment in all of Hollywood history,&#8221; and he promised to &#8220;smelt&#8221; his own Oscars in public if that was what it took to drive the point home.
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ICYMI: Actor Sean Penn says the Oscars should be boycotted if the ceremony’s planners have decided against having Zelensky on the program. <a href="https://t.co/4LI2YIiKcD">pic.twitter.com/4LI2YIiKcD</a>
&mdash; Jim Acosta (@Acosta) <a href="https://twitter.com/Acosta/status/1507832177324605442?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Penn began by saying that he was not speaking to whether or not Zelensky wanted to make such an appearance, only that he had heard event planners and producers had already decided not to allow it.
&#8220;Now, it is my understanding that a decision has been made not to do it,&#8221; Penn told Acosta. &#8220;That is not me commenting on whether or not President Zelensky had wanted to.&#8221;
&#8220;If the Academy has elected not to do it, if presenters have elected not to pursue the leadership in Ukraine, who are taking bullets and bombs for us, along with the Ukrainian children that they&#8217;re trying to protect, then I think every single one of those people and every bit of that decision will have been the most obscene moment in all of Hollywood history, and I hope that&#8217;s not what&#8217;s happening,&#8221; Penn continued.
Penn went on to suggest that nominees should boycott the ceremony, arguing that what was happening in Ukraine superseded their &#8220;moment to shine&#8221; on the stage.
&#8220;If it turns out to be what&#8217;s happening, I would encourage everyone involved to know that though it may be their moment, and I understand that, to celebrate their films, it is so much more importantly their moment to shine and to protest and to boycott that Academy Awards,&#8221; Penn said.
&#8220;And I myself, if it comes back to it, I — when I return, I will smelt mine in public,&#8221; Penn added. &#8220;I pray that&#8217;s not what&#8217;s happened. I pray that there have not been arrogant people who consider themselves representatives of the greater good in my industry that have not decided to check in with leadership in Ukraine.&#8221;
&#8220;So I&#8217;m just going to hope that&#8217;s not what&#8217;s happened,&#8221; Penn concluded, &#8220;And I hope that everybody walks out if it is.&#8221;
Penn was not alone in his hope that the Oscars would give at least a virtual nod to Zelensky — cohost and comedian Amy Schumer told actress Drew Barrymore last week that she had actually pitched a call-in from the Ukrainian President during the awards show&#8217;s broadcast.
As The Daily Wire <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/oscars-co-host-amy-schumer-just-wants-one-guest-to-make-a-cameo/">reported</a>:
<blockquote>She then told Barrymore that she had already pitched the idea, but that the show’s producers had turned her down.
“I actually pitched, I wanted to find a way to have Zelensky like satellite in or make a tape or something just because so many eyes get on — there are so many eyes on the Oscars. I am not afraid to go there, but it’s not me producing the Oscars,” she said.
“That’s why I love you,” Barrymore replied.</blockquote>
Penn has been in Poland since fleeing Ukraine amid the Russian invasion, saying that at one point he and a colleague had <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/sean-penn-abandoned-his-car-walking-miles-to-the-polish-border-to-escape-russian-invasion/">abandoned his car</a> and journeyed the last several miles to the Polish border on foot. He was in Kyiv <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/actor-sean-penn-is-in-ukraine-filming-a-russian-invasion-documentary-as-it-unfolds/">working on a documentary</a> about the Russian invasion when encroaching Russian occupation troops forced him to flee the country.

Sean Penn And Krakow Authorities Pledge Support For Ukrainian Refugees

Sean Penn Threatens To ‘Smelt’ His Own Oscars If Academy Nixes Zelensky Speech

Amy Schumer

Actor Sean Penn said he abandoned his car in Ukraine and then walked miles with two of his colleagues to the Polish border as he joined hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians fleeing amid the chaos and destruction of the ongoing Russian invasion.
&#8220;Myself &amp; two colleagues walked miles to the Polish border after abandoning our car on the side of the road. Almost all the cars in this photo carry women &amp; children only, most without any sign of luggage, and a car their only possession of value,&#8221; Penn said in a Monday tweet, sharing a photo of himself walking on the side of the road alongside a line of cars that stretched as far as the eye could see.
https://twitter.com/SeanPenn/status/1498390093375016965
Penn&#8217;s observation that most of the vehicles on the road only contained women and children was the result of a <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/ukrainian-males-ages-18-to-60-banned-from-leaving-the-country/">recently-adopted policy</a> forbidding males aged 18-60 — who could potentially take up arms against the Russian occupation forces — from leaving the country.
According to previous reports, Penn was in Ukraine to work on a documentary of the Russian invasion, meeting with a number of military officials and even Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
As The Daily Wire <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/actor-sean-penn-is-in-ukraine-filming-a-russian-invasion-documentary-as-it-unfolds/">reported</a>:
<blockquote>Actor and director Sean Penn is reportedly on the ground in Ukraine, working on a documentary about the Russian invasion that is still in progress.
Vice Studios, which is producing the project in conjunction with Vice World News and Endeavor Content, <a href="https://variety.com/2022/film/news/sean-penn-ukraine-documentary-russia-invasion-1235189570/">confirmed Penn’s involvement</a> to Variety and that the Oscar-winning actor had been in attendance at a press briefing Thursday in Kyiv where several Ukrainian officials spoke about the <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/read-it-ukrainian-president-calls-on-citizens-to-take-up-arms-in-defense-against-russian-invasion/">ongoing crisis</a>.</blockquote>
Zelensky shared a silent video of his meeting with Penn, adding the caption, &#8220;The more people know about the war in Ukraine, the more chances there are to stop Russia.&#8221;
https://twitter.com/antiputler_news/status/1496912456769323016
As the Russian invasion began in earnest, Penn took to Twitter to express his feelings and to call on the United States to step up and offer assistance.
&#8220;Already a brutal mistake of lives taken and hearts broken, and if he doesn’t relent, I believe Mr. Putin will have made a most horrible mistake for all of humankind. President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people have risen as historic symbols of courage and principle,&#8221; Penn began, adding, &#8220;Ukraine is the tip of the spear for the democratic embrace of dreams. If we allow it to fight alone, our soul as America is lost.&#8221;
https://twitter.com/SeanPenn/status/1497610571721502721
Penn also encouraged his followers who were interested in learning more to brush up on Ukraine&#8217;s more recent history, telling them to check out the documentary &#8220;Winter on Fire: Ukraine&#8217;s Fight for Freedom.&#8221;
https://twitter.com/SeanPenn/status/1498158241863241736
The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4908644/">describes the film</a> as &#8220;a documentary on the unrest in Ukraine during 2013 and 2014, as student demonstrations supporting European integration grew into a violent revolution calling for the resignation of President Viktor F. Yanukovich.&#8221;

Sean Penn Abandoned His Car, Walking Miles To The Polish Border To Escape Russian Invasion

Russia

Actor and director Sean Penn is reportedly on the ground in Ukraine, working on a documentary about the Russian invasion that is still in progress.
Vice Studios, which is producing the project in conjunction with Vice World News and Endeavor Content, <a href="https://variety.com/2022/film/news/sean-penn-ukraine-documentary-russia-invasion-1235189570/">confirmed Penn&#8217;s involvement</a> to Variety and that the Oscar-winning actor had been in attendance at a press briefing Thursday in Kyiv where several Ukrainian officials spoke about the <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/read-it-ukrainian-president-calls-on-citizens-to-take-up-arms-in-defense-against-russian-invasion/">ongoing crisis</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Sean Penn is on the ground in Ukraine filming a documentary about Russia’s invasion, Vice Studios confirmed. The filmmaker appeared at a press briefing Thursday in Kyiv listening to government officials speak about the crisis. <a href="https://t.co/k88WDgbtGw">https://t.co/k88WDgbtGw</a> <a href="https://t.co/mSJas55W2v">pic.twitter.com/mSJas55W2v</a>
&mdash; Variety (@Variety) <a href="https://twitter.com/Variety/status/1496934615142989824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Sean Penn is on the ground in Ukraine during the invasion filming a documentary. <a href="https://t.co/RLrGTLTDD6">pic.twitter.com/RLrGTLTDD6</a>
&mdash; Mike Sington (@MikeSington) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeSington/status/1496936545915338752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Penn also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/entertainment/sean-penn-meets-with-ukrainian-president-zelensky-while-filming-documentary-on-russias-ongoing-invasion/">shared a silent video</a> of the meeting along with the caption, &#8220;The more people know about the war in Ukraine, the more chances there are to stop Russia.&#8221;
https://twitter.com/antiputler_news/status/1496912456769323016
Penn reportedly began laying the groundwork for the project with a visit to Ukraine in November of 2021, when he met with Ukrainian military officials and politicians.
Newsweek <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/sean-penn-ukraine-film-documentary-russian-invasion-1682336">reported at the time</a>:
<blockquote>Sean Penn has arrived in Kyiv to &#8216;tell the world the truth about Russia&#8217;s invasion&#8217; of Ukraine.
The Office of the President of Ukraine announced on Thursday that the American actor-director had landed in the capital to document the conflict. Penn also visited the country in November 2021 to work on a documentary he is making about Russian aggression.
Since his arrival, Penn has visited the Office of the President and spoken with deputy prime minister Iryna Vereshchuk, as well as local journalists and members of the Ukrainian military.</blockquote>
The Ukrainian government thanked Penn for drawing attention to what was happening on the ground, saying in a statement sent by the Ukrainian Embassy to Newsweek, &#8220;The director specially came to Kyiv to record all the events that are currently happening in Ukraine and to tell the world the truth about Russia&#8217;s invasion of our country. Sean Penn is among those who support Ukraine in Ukraine today. Our country is grateful to him for such a show of courage and honesty.&#8221;
&#8220;Sean Penn is demonstrating bravery that many others have been lacking, in particular some Western politicians. The more people like that—true friends of Ukraine, who support the fight for freedom—the quicker we can stop this heinous invasion by Russia,&#8221; the statement continued.
Several criticized the move on Twitter, suggesting that Penn&#8217;s involvement amounted to a &#8220;stunt.&#8221;
&#8220;Few things i loathe more than celebrity stunt war journalism,&#8221; producer Danny Gold <a href="https://twitter.com/DGisSERIOUS/status/1496954492436336651">tweeted</a>.
Freelance reporter Sean Korsgaard agreed with Gold&#8217;s assessment of the situation, adding a photo of Penn — seated at a table with fellow actor Jack Nicholson and a much-younger Russian President Vladimir Putin — along with the following caption: &#8220;Especially given Penn&#8217;s the kind of shmuck who beats his wife, but has hugged it out woth[sic] multiple dictators&#8230; including that fellow on the right who has been making headlines recently.&#8221;
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Especially given Penn&#39;s the kind of shmuck who beats his wife, but has hugged it out woth multiple dictators&#8230; including that fellow on the right who has been making headlines recently. <a href="https://t.co/TXJKq4NfWP">https://t.co/TXJKq4NfWP</a> <a href="https://t.co/gDsYbaLWGd">pic.twitter.com/gDsYbaLWGd</a>
&mdash; Sean CW Korsgaard (@SCWKorsgaard) <a href="https://twitter.com/SCWKorsgaard/status/1496955462805340162?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Actor Sean Penn Is In Ukraine, Filming A Russian Invasion Documentary As It Unfolds

Actor Sean Penn is no champion of the conservative movement and there’s a good chance he never will be. But he does appear to agree with many of his political opposites when it comes to traditional gender roles. 
The “Mystic River” alum is unhappy with men becoming more feminine and wishes the trend would reverse. “I am in the club that believes that men in American culture have become wildly feminized,” Penn told UK-based <a href="https://inews.co.uk/culture/sean-penn-flag-day-film-interview-men-american-culture-feminised-1398996">inews.co</a> while promoting his new movie, “Flag Day.”
“I don’t think that being a brute or having insensitivity or disrespect for women is anything to do with masculinity, or ever did,” he continued. “But I don’t think that [in order] to be fair to women, we should become them.”
That wasn’t the only time Penn spoke up about gender roles. The “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” actor also spoke with <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/sean-penn-masculinity-women-b2002647.html">The Independent</a> on the topic. “There are a lot of, I think, cowardly genes that lead to people surrendering their jeans and putting on a skirt,” Penn said.
“I have these very strong women in my life who do not take masculinity as a sign of oppression toward them,” he continued.
The publication noted how Penn’s 20-year-old daughter Dylan, whom he shares with actress Robin Wright, went “quiet” and “stared into space” while her father was speaking.
In the same interview, Penn made his pro-vaccination status clear. 
“Sometimes people take their privilege and freedom as a right to be anti-citizen, to be failed citizens,” he told The Independent. “Those who will search out the kind of bogus science that would give them legitimacy [when it comes to] not being vaccinated.”
In 2020, Penn compared COVID-19 to an “active shooter” and advocated treating it as such.
“I don’t think we need to attach a face, a personality, or what somebody was sending on their social media to be able to identify an active shooter,” the activist actor said during an appearance on “The View,” The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sean-penn-on-the-view-coronavirus-pandemic-is-an-active-shooter-situation">reported</a>. 
“An active shooter is anything that is continuing to kill people, and our brothers and sisters and fathers and daughters and sons,” he continued. “This is — this virus is the active shooter, and if we were — I think that if we could wrap our head around it in that way and understand that it’s principally putting in the radical people of color, elderly people, indigenous people, but randomly selecting all of us, that we need to huddle around and make very clear decisions on how to approach this thing.”
Penn is an enigma of opinions on all fronts. On one hand, he’s an unabashed fan of the late Venezuelan president and noted socialist Hugo Chávez. But the actor is also against cancel culture and the idea that only people of underrepresented groups can play themselves in film and TV.
The actor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sean-penn-conan-obrien-denounce-cancel-culture-calling-it-soviet">told</a> Conan O’Brien how in today’s culture, he’d never be cast as a gay man like he was for the 2008 biographical film “Milk.”
“Today, almost certainly I would not be permitted to be cast in that role,” Penn said. “We’re living in a time when, if you’re playing a gay lead character, you’d have to be a gay man or a trans character. And there have been these casting issues.”
He’s not a fan of this move toward “representation.”
“When you have a period of evolution that certainly has an opportunity for people who have had less opportunities to move forward,” the actor said. “That has to be supported, and yet in this pendulum swing society that we’re in, you wonder at some point if only Danish Princes can play Hamlet. It is, I believe, too restrictive. People are looking for gotcha moments and to criticize.”

FRANCE-FILM-FESTIVAL-CANNES

‘Cowardly Genes’ Responsible For Men In Skirts, Sean Penn Says While Defending Masculinity

Masculinity

On Wednesday, after actor Sean Penn, most famous politically for his fawning adoration over the late Venezuelan socialist dictator Hugo Chavez, had called for mandatory vaccinations for Americans, implying it was “no different” from getting a driver’s license, fellow actor James Woods, knowing Penn’s leftist proclivities, snapped, “Or proof of citizenship to vote?”
https://twitter.com/RealJamesWoods/status/1425503605465837573
&#8220;This is one of those things that should be mandatory,&#8221; Penn had told <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/why-sean-penn-covid-vaccines-mandatory-161752654.html">Yahoo Entertainment,</a> which added, “The actor and filmmaker also likens vaccine mandates to driver&#8217;s licenses, calling them ‘no different than having everybody being able to drive 100 miles an hour in a car.’&#8221;
Penn stated that the resistance to vaccines was derived from a “lack of imagination and understanding of anything that&#8217;s helpful to the human race,” claiming, &#8220;There&#8217;s different kinds of hesitancies, and so I don&#8217;t think that there&#8217;s much excuse to not know the informational available anymore. That&#8217;s part of why I think it should be mandatory. A resistance that&#8217;s just based on a certain kind of&#8230; lack of imagination and understanding of anything that&#8217;s helpful to the human race, I&#8217;ve become very frustrated by that. But I can only work within my own bounds and say that, for me, it should be mandatory.&#8221;
In 2012, Penn lauded Chavez, saying, “He is one of the most important forces we’ve had on this planet and I will wish him nothing but that great strength that he has shown over and over again. I do it in love and I do it in gratitude. So that I just want to say that from my very American point of view of my friend President Chavez, it is only possible to be as inspiring as he is as a two-way street. And he would say that his inspiration is the people.”
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In July, Penn <a href="https://deadline.com/2021/07/sean-penn-series-boycott-gaslit-mandatory-covid-vaccinations-cast-crew-watergate-1234798488/">demanded</a> all of the cast and crew of the Starz series “Gaslit,” co-starring Julia Roberts, get vaccinated or he would not return to the set.
In September 2016, Penn called voting for Donald Trump like “masturbating our way into hell” on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/sean-penn-twitter-donald-trump-colbert-933346/">saying</a>, “There are two options: Either you can decide to divorce yourself from loving your children and piss on a tree and show that you have the power to piss on a tree. Or you can go out and vote in a very big way for someone like Hillary Clinton — who then you can challenge and support which is the only way that any kind of president can have any success — and you stick it out for four years, or we can just masturbate our way into hell with a guy who looks like the only blonde magician.”
In March 2016, Penn, speaking at the RSA computer security conference in San Francisco, <a href="https://deadline.com/2016/03/sean-penn-louis-ck-bill-maher-donald-trump-1201715202/">stated,</a> “I think Bernie Sanders is an exceptional American, and I’m going to vote for Hillary Clinton.”

Woods Penn

Sean Penn Compares Mandatory Vaccines To Drivers’ Licenses. James Woods Snaps, ‘Or Proof Of Citizenship To Vote?’

James Woods

Vaccines

Voter ID

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