Sean Penn: Oscar Bid Amid Health & Addiction Battles

Charismatic Colonel Lockjaw Enters the Oscar Race

Sean Penn has received an Oscar nomination for 2026 in the best supporting actor category for his role as Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw in “One Battle After Another.” Media reports consistently praise his performance—charismatic, unsettling, and almost brutal—as one of the film’s strongest elements. The nomination comes as Hollywood awards season heats up, with many eyes on potential upsets and surprising wins.

“Variety” notes that Penn has been “unpredictable and provocative” lately, recalling that during the Golden Globes ceremony this year, the actor smoked cigarettes on camera before losing in the best supporting actor category to Stellan Skarsgård.

Even though, a significant signal for the Oscars came later, at the Actor Awards 2026 and the BAFTA Awards, where Penn won, overtaking earlier frontrunner Stellan Skarsgård. “The Hollywood Reporter” describes this as a “sudden shift towards the favorite,” emphasizing that Penn “came from nowhere to take the lead” and now enters the Oscars as a top contender.

This year’s Oscar race for best supporting actor sees Sean Penn competing against Benicio del Toro (“One Battle After Another”), Jacob Elordi (“Frankenstein”), Delroy Lindo (“Sinners”), and Stellan Skarsgård (“Sentimental Value”).

Sean Penn: A Hollywood Rebel Speaks About Addiction

The name Sean Penn has become synonymous with controversy, and the actor has long fascinated audiences with his raw talent on screen and often turbulent life off it. Foreign reports frequently mention Penn’s decades-long battle with addiction, which has long extended beyond typical Hollywood excess.

— I had to take it to sleep after a red-eye flight last night — he admitted at the beginning of the interview.

Sean Penn is a Heavy Smoker

— It doesn’t bother me. My parents smoked when I was a kid, so I associate the smell of cigarette smoke with pleasant memories — Penn replied, suggesting that it’s one of those addictions that’s hard to break.

— I had to be 22. I saw myself as someone who didn’t get addicted. (…) I was making a film about World War II called “Racing with the Moon”, and we smoked unfiltered Ovals the whole time. (…) I’ve been smoking ever since. I don’t even try to quit. I love it. I don’t recommend it to anyone, but I love it — he recalled.

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Depressive States and Episodes of Low Mood

during numerous interviews, Penn himself has emphasized that he has stopped enjoying acting, describing states of lack of motivation and distance from his profession—which in many interpretations was read as depressive symptoms.

— Eighteen years ago, when I was doing “Milk,” that was the last time I enjoyed this perform. But you want to participate in something that is your current interest, and with people who are surprising — he admitted.