Penn skipped the ceremony to meet with Ukrainian president Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian leader posted a photo of them together on X, thanking the actor and activist. Zelenskyy wrote, “Sean, thanks to you, we know what a true friend of Ukraine is. You have stood with Ukraine since the first day of the full-scale war. This is still true today. And we know that you will continue to stand with our country and our people.”

Penn won the Actor Award and BAFTA award, but did not attend either ceremony.

At last year’s Lumiere Film Festival, Penn talked about his activism, including his documentary Superpower, co-directed with Aaron Kaufman, about his encounters with Zelensky.

Penn reflected on how his activism, filmmaking and carpentry all come from the same impulse. “I don’t know that I differentiate between getting up in the morning and going to my workshop and building a piece of furniture from going to a movie set and acting or directing a movie, or anything I’ve done working in the NGO space or with the documentary,” he said. “It all feels like you’re always looking to be value added. Sometimes you’re not; sometimes you can catch yourself inflaming a situation. You have to weigh risk-benefit on everything–to the situation, not to oneself.”