Sean Penn says he no longer attends awards shows, and his explanation now includes two blunt rules: avoid large rooms and do not take selfies.
The actor discussed the decision during a Tribeca Festival conversation with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. Variety reported that Penn called selfies a “soul-sucker” and said he does not make exceptions to the rule.
Penn was absent from the 98th Academy Awards when he won Best Supporting Actor for One Battle After Another. Kieran Culkin accepted the award on his behalf while Penn was in Ukraine, where he has publicly supported the country during Russia’s war.
Penn told Collins that the decision was not only about one ceremony. He said awards shows create “social discomfort” for him and involve more people than he wants around him at this point in his life.
Penn Explained His Oscars Absence at Tribeca
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Penn spoke with Collins on June 5 at the Tribeca Festival in New York. According to People, he said he has committed to avoiding designated groups larger than eight people and described the choice as tied to his mental health.
He said the Golden Globes earlier this year helped him decide he was finished with awards shows. Instead of attending the Oscars, Penn traveled to Kyiv, where People reported that he received an “Iron Oscar” statue made from war-damaged metal.
Penn also said watching the Academy Awards remotely gave him a different experience of the show. “I actually enjoyed the Oscars for the first time ever,” he said, according to People.
He Said He Will Not Take Selfies With Anyone
Variety reported that Penn called the practice a “soul-sucker” and said he would not take one even with a grandmother who survived the Holocaust or a child with a disability.
Page Six reported the same exchange, including Penn’s statement that selfies are bad for everyone involved. The quote drew attention because he used an extreme hypothetical to describe a rule he said has no exceptions.
The Guardian noted that other celebrities have also objected to selfies, but Penn’s wording made his answer harsher than a standard complaint about fan photos or privacy.
His Oscar Win Came Without an Acceptance Speech
Penn won Best Supporting Actor for playing Colonel Steven Lockjaw in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another. The win gave him his third acting Oscar after Mystic River and Milk.
Because Penn was not at the ceremony, Culkin accepted the award and joked that Penn either “couldn’t be there” or “didn’t want to,” according to Page Six. Penn later confirmed he had traveled to Ukraine, but he also told Collins that awards shows themselves had become something he no longer wanted to attend.
One Battle After Another also won Best Picture, Best Director for Anderson, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and the first Oscar for Best Casting.
Penn Said He Wants Smaller Rooms
Penn told People he wants to sit with people he loves rather than spend nights inside crowded awards rooms. He described large public gatherings as uncomfortable and said the Golden Globes confirmed that he did not want to keep attending them.