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General Mar 16, 2026 at 6:40 PM

Volodymyr Zelenskyy Posts Image With Sean Penn In Ukraine Soon After Actor’s Oscar Win in 'One Battle After Another': “We Know What A True Friend Is”

Posted by ControlCAD


https://deadline.com/2026/03/sean-penn-zelensky-misses-oscars-one-battle-after-another-1236756706/

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Iribumkiak Mar 16, 2026 +236
Say what you will about Sean Penn, but he walks the walk.
236
Throwawaychicksbeach Mar 17, 2026 +44
I’ve only barely kept track of his activism, can you recall other notable stands he’s taken? He does seem like a principled guy.
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sleepinglucid Mar 17, 2026 +54
He's done a lot of disaster relief stuff. He's done some crazy interviews (met in person with El Chapo) has also met with some other controversial south American people.
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Apart_Butterfly_332 Mar 17, 2026 +24
[Here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Penn#Political_views_and_activism) is a pretty good place to start. He has a whole wiki section dedicated to activism and other efforts and notable events. He has had some.... interesting stances on a lot of things.
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Current--Anything Mar 17, 2026 -5
You don't have to be cryptic. You can just say he's anti-trans
-5
Apart_Butterfly_332 Mar 17, 2026 +10
Ah wasn't trying to be cryptic about that. Yeah he is pretty backwards with his views on that topic. There's also being supportive of Chavez/al-Assad but also supporting Ukraine recently? I also remember him being kind of laughed at in the media for trying to rescue people during Katrina. It's just all really odd.
10
Dreigatron Mar 17, 2026 +8
I think it was because he brought a camera crew with him. And his boat sank before he got to rescue anybody.
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Schrodingers_Fist Mar 17, 2026 +3
Between being a 3 time oscar w*****, his general activism, and banging Madonna, Robin Wright, Charlize Theron and Scarjo.  You can't really fault the guy for making the most of his life overall.
3
joe_beardon Mar 17, 2026 +20
He beat the shit out of Madonna. I actually met him once at a book signing at Barnes and Noble - he acted like a t*** the whole time and just wouldn't shut up about how he's a serious writer and nobody better mention anything about movies to him. Then at the end no one really wanted to talk to him because he was acting like a d***** so he just left early. Pick a better hero.
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Puppetmaster858 Mar 17, 2026 +7
She flat out strongly denied he abused her
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joe_beardon Mar 17, 2026 +11
Decades later and she made a police report originally. Domestic violence makes people act in ways that are strange to the observer.
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NaiveZest Mar 17, 2026 +1
Haiti Disaster Response. Advocacy for veterans.
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HedRok Mar 17, 2026 +2
He always has.
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BB808BB Mar 17, 2026 -10
He’s a violent thug. Absolutely ridiculous a president is kissing his ass and having a meeting with him.
-10
el_duderino_50 Mar 16, 2026 +97
Right, so that's why he wasn't in tinseltown then? People gave him lots of shit for not showing up at the Oscars and meanwhile this dude is out there doing his thing.
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BardTrumer Mar 16, 2026 +62
drawing attention to the war still going on that people have normalized because its so far away, even if hes been a turd, is a good reason to miss the award shows!
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Muted_Yoghurt6071 Mar 17, 2026 +4
Him choosing the Oscars as his time to visit is undeniably very performative.
4
scorpious Mar 17, 2026 +3
Yes, that’s the point. Btw, Russia is still attacking a sovereign country…
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Muted_Yoghurt6071 Mar 17, 2026
Damn, I wonder if reminding everybody that during a major television event would have been better exposure to that fact than SOME people reading where he was a few days later. Maybe visit the week leading up to it? or after. But the performative narrative of "he doesn't have time for trivial awards shows. He's out doing real shit" is silly.
0
DougosaurusRex Mar 18, 2026 +2
As someone who does volunteer work in Ukraine normally Penn has been consistently advocating for Ukraine, you’re reading way too much into it.
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[deleted] Mar 17, 2026
[deleted]
0
el_duderino_50 Mar 17, 2026 +2
The photo may not be recent, but as per the article: > Due to his Ukraine trip, Penn was not in Los Angeles to pick up the Oscar from last year’s w***** Kieran Culkin
2
EcstaticYoghurt7467 Mar 17, 2026 +1
There is, however, a post dated 2026-3-16 with a picture of him sitting across from Zelenskyy in his office.
1
Many_Working_6126 Mar 16, 2026 +30
This isn’t a bad faith question, I’m legitimately asking. I’m just wondering, what can someone like Sean Penn actually DO for Ukraine? I get bringing awareness is important - and I’m not taking the piss out of him for being there instead of the Oscars - I’m just curious like what actual strings could Sean Penn pull for a war-torn country? So much so, that Zelenskyy would call him a “friend.”
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Spiritual-Progress75 Mar 16, 2026 +117
Sean Penn's nonprofit organization, CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort), has been providing support and humanitarian aid in Ukraine since the 2022 Russian invasion.
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DanOverflow Mar 16, 2026 +23
This is the answer
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Many_Working_6126 Mar 17, 2026 +5
Cool. Thank you! This is exactly what I was wondering about.
5
thelionsnorestonight Mar 17, 2026 +1
We saw him speak a while back. I haven’t seen his documentary but he was in Ukraine when Russia invaded.
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DougosaurusRex Mar 18, 2026 +1
Russia did invade in 2014, it’s just no one in the West was willing to openly admit it. 2022 was when they stopped hiding it and went in from all directions.
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MrSometimesAlways Mar 16, 2026 +29
Brings it back into the spotlight
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Ecstatictobehere Mar 16, 2026 -16
Maybe if it were Taylor Swift…but Sean Penn?
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emb4rassingStuffacct Mar 16, 2026 +15
He has a far bigger megaphone than about 99% of Americans, so it’s better than nothing I say. 
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Excellent_Theory1602 Mar 17, 2026 +2
Well you're talking about it...so it worked for you
2
69420penis Mar 17, 2026 +1
Well, he is one of the most talented actors of all time to the point he literally just won his 3rd Oscar and has made so many headlines for skipping the show to be in Ukraine. He’s very clearly bringing attention to the cause and a lot of it
1
Ecstatictobehere Mar 17, 2026 +1
Yet the battle still rages…
1
69420penis Mar 17, 2026
Well obviously? Are you being purposefully stupid? Taylor swift couldn’t f****** stop the war in Ukraine either. Sean penn being so active in his support of Ukraine brings greater attention to the cause and creates more support for them that allows them to receive better support from the rest of the world.
0
Late_Audience037 Mar 16, 2026 +50
Him just showing up is literally doing more than Trump's entire administration. The bar is that low.
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Skittleavix Mar 17, 2026 +13
Raise awareness. There are a lot of people out there, especially in America, who refuse to pay attention to world events. But a lot of people pay attention to pop culture and Hollywood, many of whom probably hate how he's doing this. Doesn't matter. The information is now in their brains. "Made you look!"
13
Balc0ra Mar 17, 2026 +3
Awareness = more aid
3
VERY_MENTALLY_STABLE Mar 16, 2026 +22
I will join My fellow soldier Sean Penn in battle against th Russians.
22
Dr-Mumm-Rah Mar 17, 2026 +1
I heard Sean Penn became the Russian barn boss after beating Putin with a pillow case filled with soda cans.
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Application-Bulky Mar 16, 2026 +3
Hey, there’s no birthday party for me in here!
3
ForcedEntry420 Mar 17, 2026 +1
“Hah! She’s seen Fast Times…” - Deputy Director Bullock
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fygogogo Mar 17, 2026 +4
One battle after another
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DeeperThoughts57 Mar 17, 2026 +6
Absolutely more respect for Sean Penn than almost anyone in Washington.
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meedmishmohd Mar 17, 2026 +3
Very polarizing this Sean fella 
3
ISLAndBreezESTeve10 Mar 17, 2026 +1
He is doing more than I’m doing… very inspiring.
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Hannah_togo Mar 17, 2026 +2
Good, the Russians have surely seen I am Sam, and they will ceasefire because they are all huge fans- à la simple jack in tropic thunder
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Ecstatictobehere Mar 16, 2026
I was thinking the exact same thing.
0
EsteGueyEsChingon Mar 16, 2026 -6
Ask Chapo how his last visit with Sean went. Hopefully that was a one off.
-6
Mediocre_Garage1852 Mar 17, 2026 +7
He’s been to Ukraine numerous times. Filmed a documentary too
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SeniorPuddykin Mar 16, 2026
El Chapo feels the same way…
0
Brief-Night6314 Mar 17, 2026 -8
Dude Ukraine is sooo 2022 2023….. like no one talks about them anymore…. Now it’s all about helping Iran and stopping ICE and Trump. Get with the times….
-8
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