Actor Sean Penn may have missed this year’s Academy Awards, but he still received a special tribute.

The 65-year-old, who was absent from the ceremony because of his ongoing work in the Ukraine, was presented with a makeshift Oscar created from war-damaged rail metal.

In a video shared online by Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, the chief executive of Ukrainian Railways, the actor was handed the symbolic statuette during a recent visit.

“You’re missing Oscars … So we made this one. This is from the railcar that was damaged by the Russians,” Pertsovskyi told him in the video.

“The metal survived, so we put some words here. Very special to us. It’s not golden, but it’s real. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.”

The Oscar-shaped piece also featured a message welded into the back, reflecting its origins and purpose.

“This steel once carried millions of people away from war. Then a Russian missile came,” the inscription read.

“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.”

Penn has been a long-time supporter of Ukraine and has visited the country several times since Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion four years ago.

During a visit in 2022, the actor even left one of his own Oscars in Kyiv after meeting Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying it would remain there until the country’s victory.

The actor has continued to visit regularly and is widely reported to be working on a project documenting the war.

Zelenskyy recently shared a photo of the pair together on social media and wrote: “Sean, thanks to you, we know what a true friend of Ukraine is.”

“You have stood with Ukraine since the first day of the full-scale war… We know that you will continue to stand with our country and our people.”

Despite missing the ceremony, Penn still claimed the Best Supporting Actor award for his role in One Battle After Another.

Last year’s winner Kieran Culkin accepted the award on his behalf.

“Sean Penn couldn’t be here this evening, or didn’t want to, so I will be accepting the award on his behalf,” Culkin quipped, referencing the actor’s known aversion to awards shows.

This year he skipped the BAFTAs and Actor Awards despite being a nominee and winning both awards.

Images: X