Photo by Harald Krichel / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
14
Paul Thomas Anderson’s darkly comic thriller One Battle After Another became the centerpiece of the 98th Academy Awards, earning its lead actor Sean Penn a record-tying Best Supporting Actor award. The twist? Penn was not at the Dolby Theatre. Presenter Kieran Culkin accepted the trophy and made light of the awkward situation, drawing laughter and applause from a crowd that had momentarily fallen into stunned silence.
The win gave Penn his third Oscar, placing him in the same historic tier as Jack Nicholson, Walter Brennan, and Daniel Day-Lewis. Each of the four men has three acting Academy Awards to their name — a number unmatched by any other male performer in the history of the ceremony. Penn’s previous victories were for Mystic River in 2004 and Milk in 2009.
Penn played a militaristic, obsessive officer in One Battle After Another, and the performance drew universal praise for its controlled ferocity. The film was a defining evening for Anderson, who finally received his first Oscars after a career spanning nearly 30 years. He won both Adapted Screenplay and Best Director, cementing a remarkable night for the production.
Conan O’Brien hosted the ceremony with a blend of self-aware humor and genuine warmth. He opened by joking about artificial intelligence potentially replacing human hosts, a topic clearly resonating with the Hollywood crowd. His broader message was one of international unity and hope, noting that nominees hailed from 31 countries on six continents.
The Best Actor race concluded with Michael B. Jordan winning for Sinners, defeating a favored Leonardo DiCaprio. Penn’s absent acceptance and Jordan’s surprise win made the 2026 Oscars one of the more memorable ceremonies in recent memory.
