Sean Penn clinched his third Academy Award for best supporting actor on Sunday, which was Monday in Bangladesh, for his portrayal of Colonel Steven Lockjaw in the political thriller “One Battle After Another.” In the film, Penn, 65, embodies the character of a white nationalist military officer who finds himself enamored with a Black revolutionary despite conflicting ideologies. Brian Tallerico, in his critique on rogerebert.com, lauded Penn’s performance, noting how he skillfully balanced between authenticity and exaggeration in his delivery.
This marked Penn’s third Oscar win, a feat made notable by his tendency to eschew industry award ceremonies, as was the case at the Dolby Theatre where he was absent. Last year’s supporting actor winner, Kieran Culkin, humorously acknowledged Penn’s absence by stating, “Sean Penn couldn’t be here, or didn’t want to, so I’ll accept the award on his behalf.”
Reflecting on his passion for acting, Penn shared with W magazine, “Because of Paul’s movie, I’m in a stage of liking acting. But I’ve always got carpentry to fall back on. And surfing.” Competing against Penn in the supporting actor category were Benicio Del Toro for “One Battle After Another,” Stellan Skarsgård for “Sentimental Value,” Delroy Lindo for “Sinners,” and Jacob Elordi for “Frankenstein.”
