Sean Penn explained his much-discussed absence from the Academy Awards in March, where he was unable to accept his third Oscar in person, during his appearance Friday at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City as part of the Storytellers event series, moderated by CNN's Kaitlan Collins.
The driven, incredibly talented, and at times unpredictable actor and public figure arrived at the festival a year late after being forced to cancel his scheduled 2025 appearance due to a death in the family. On Friday evening, he spoke with Collins, who hosts The Source with Kaitlan Collins« weekdays on the cable news channel and is also the channel's chief White House correspondent.
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In March, Penn won his third Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the downtrodden oppressor Colonel Stephen J. Lockjaw in Paul Thomas Anderson's critically acclaimed film «"Battle after battle » , which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. This added to his wins for Best Actor for Mystic River films« in 2004 and «Milk» in 2009. Notably, Penn was absent from the Oscar ceremony, where he was expected to receive the award he was expected to receive; a few days later, it was reported that he had flown to Ukraine for a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Having agreed not to attend the awards ceremony with his film crew, «Battle after battle» , He said he had deliberately planned his trip to Ukraine to coincide with the broadcast of the Oscars ceremony.
«"The best thing I could hope for was relief," he admitted. "Knowing that this couldn't go on, I took another step this year. I went to the Golden Globes; I'd never been there before. And that's where I decided, 'I can't do this anymore.'".
«"[The Oscars] have always been associated with social discomfort for me," he added.
Penn explained to a reporter and a large audience at Spring Studios in Lower Manhattan his rule regarding social gatherings: "I won't go anywhere with more than eight people. If you set aside two hours for the evening, that leaves you with 15 minutes per person.".
But there's no point in adding a ninth person, Penn said, since a crowd of more than eight "simply creates anxiety and fear." Despite this—or perhaps because of it—Penn said he's managed to "mellow out" over the years, shedding the reputation for punching photographers, causing shouting matches, and other well-known antisocial behavior that his youthful antics earned him as a respected actor.
It's not as if he's 100% available right now. Penn told the crowd that he'd never take a selfie, even with some of his most devoted fans, regardless of their social status.
«"To the people never You shouldn't take selfies with anyone by whom . "It's bad for you; it's bad for everyone. It's soul-sucking," he said, drawing loud laughter from the packed auditorium, where the audience was hanging on his every word. "But what about a grandmother who survived the Holocaust and her six-year-old disabled child, wheeled in? Absolutely not.".
Penn began his acting career in the early 1980s with roles in war thrillers. «Taps» and a favorite comedy «"Fast Times at Ridgemont High"» , before turning to serious roles and performing brilliantly in films «State of Grace» и «The Indian Runner» . His reputation as an actor grew alongside his reputation for violent outbursts, which led to fines and even jail time. Those days were over, he suggested, when Collins asked him at the end of their conversation if he had mellowed over the years.
«"I haven't had a fight with anyone in four years," Penn told her, then explained how that was possible. "I've never heard anyone yell for more than two seconds before I left.".
In the early 2000s, Penn became a major Hollywood actor, winning two Best Actor awards, and his name also became synonymous with active aid to disaster-stricken regions of the world. Over the years, he contributed his money, time, and energy to the cause—perhaps more than anyone else in Hollywood.
It's been 16 years since the University of Pennsylvania founded J/P HRO following the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The nonprofit relief organization, renamed Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE), aims to provide immediate humanitarian aid and recovery support to communities in need around the world, particularly in war-torn Ukraine in recent years following Russia's invasion.
The actor assured those gathered that the people of Ukraine are no different from Americans, and that what is happening there is unimaginable and horrific. But he believes the country will ultimately prevail over the Russian invasion, which has been ongoing for more than four years.
Regarding this year's Oscars ceremony, Penn said he did watch it from Ukraine. For him, the notoriously long awards ceremony lasted all night and into the morning, starting around 2:00 AM local time and ending around 5:00 AM.
«"This is the first time I've really enjoyed the Oscars," Penn told the crowd. "It was great.".
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