Oscar Buzz Around Sean Penn
This year’s Best Supporting Actor award at the Oscars felt like it could go any number of ways, right until the moment Sean Penn’s name was announced. It might seem surprising—after all, he’s already snagged the Best Actor award for his roles in Mystic River in 2003 and Milk. But, you know how the Academy works; if they love you, they’ll happily call you back, whether you show up or not. In Penn’s case, he didn’t show, leaving presenter Kieran Culkin to fill the space with some quick-witted remarks. Culkin quipped that Penn might have added, “Or I didn’t want to,” perhaps hinting that even though he’s been a crowd favorite, Penn isn’t always on board with the awards circuit.
Whether he was grateful or not, winning this third Oscar puts Penn in some pretty elite company. He’s at least the eighth actor to achieve this milestone. Katharine Hepburn still holds the record for Best Actress with four awards. In this “Three Times Club,” Penn joins icons like Ingrid Bergman and Walter Brennan, as well as living legends such as Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Frances McDormand, who joined the club with her win for Nomadland five years ago.
Interestingly, this win was his first nomination for portraying the wildly eccentric antagonist Colonel Stephen Lockjaw. It’s also noteworthy that he’s only been nominated for a supporting role this time. All five previous nods were for leading performances in films like Dead Man Walking, Sweet and Lowdown, and I’m Sam. It seems his recent wins come with a growing popularity among his peers, possibly because he’s becoming more intriguing—or at least more offbeat—as he ages.
It’s amusing, in a way, to observe the Academy, which once gave an Oscar to the President of Ukraine, rewarding someone who appears a bit detached from the industry. But it’s also somewhat comforting to realize that success at these ceremonies doesn’t always hinge on massive campaigns. Sometimes, you can win an Oscar without even showing up, as long as the performance on screen is what people remember.
