Sean Penn accepts Oscar made from Ukrainian rail cars destroyed by Russia

“You’re missing the Oscars,” Pertsovskyi says in the video as he hands Penn the statue. “Plus, you gave one to the president, so we made this one from the rail car that was damaged by the Russians. You said the metals survived, so we put some words here that are very special to us. It’s not golden, but it’s very real and from the bottom of our hearts.” 

Cracking a rare smile, Penn hugs the CEO and accepts the gift, saying, “These are all treasures, thank you.”

The trophy isn’t the type of wrought iron statue found in Jersey Shore gift shops. Rather, it’s a flattened piece of metal cut into the shape of an Oscar with shading on the body to evoke the form and curvature of an Academy Award. “This steel once carried millions of people away from war,” the engraving on the statue reads. “Then a Russian missile came. We did not melt it into a weapon. We forged it into gratitude—for you. For your talent. For your courage to stand with Ukraine.” 

A complicated and controversial figure in Hollywood and outside it, Penn has remained steadfast in his support of Ukraine amid four-years of war. This remains especially notable as public support from the U.S. and, particularly Hollywood, for Ukraine has taken a backseat to the many, many other foreign and domestic issues currently melting everyone’s brains.