American actor Sean Penn has been named Best Supporting Actor for his scene-stealing performance in director Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another".
Penn was one of the nominees in the category that included nominees Benicio Del Toro (for the same film), Jacob Elordi for "Frankenstein", Delroy Lindo for "Sinners", and Stellan Skarsgård for "Sentimental Value". The actor wasn't, however, present at the ceremony. Penn didn’t attend the Oscar ceremony. His trophy was accepted by actor Kieran Culkin, who was assigned presenting duty.
This marks Penn's third Oscar after his two Best Actor Oscars in 2004 — Clint Eastwood's "Mystic River" — and 2009 — for Gus Van Sant's "Milk" — respectively.
Penn was also earlier nominated for "Dead Man Walking" (1995), "Sweet and Lowdown" (1999), and "I Am Sam" (2001)".
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In "One Battle After Another", Penn played the morally complex Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw, who hunts the revolutionaries played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Teyana Taylor. One of the film's key aspects is the weird sexual relationship Lockjaw shares with the latter's character Perfidia. The character is notable in that he cannot be fit into a conventional villain.
In a career spanning four decades, the actor played a diverse range of roles, eventually gaining reputation as one of Hollywood’s most admired performers.
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Penn started more attention in the early 1980s with his comedic but impactful performance in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982), and his relatively more serious roles during the late 1980s and early 1990s, in such films as "Dead Man Walking" (opposite Susan Sarandon) and "Carlito's Way" (opposite Al Pacino), which helped establish him as a powerful dramatic actor. His role in the former is regarded by many as one of the most haunting.
"One Battle After Another" has only further cemented Penn's reputation as one of the most versatile and reliable actors in Hollywood.