Best Supporting Actor felt like a genuine toss-up at this year’s Oscars right up until the point that Sean Penn’s name was called. He might have seemed like an unlikely choice, given that he already won Best Actor for Mystic River in 2003 and Milk in 2008. But if Academy voters like you, they don’t mind calling you back to the stage — even if you’re unlikely to actually show up. Penn was a no-show at this year’s ceremony, resulting in presenter Kieran Culkin making an off-the-cuff joke, or rather a bit of speculative honesty: As an addendum to the standard line that Sean Penn “couldn’t be here tonight,” he added “or didn’t want to be,” nodding to the impression that despite his awards-season popularity, Penn doesn’t always seem so plugged in to the whole campaign scene, especially after so many nominations and wins.
With this third victory, regardless of
...Keep reading this article on DECIDER.
