Sean Penn leaves Oscar with Ukraine’s president as symbol of faith in victory

It’s a golden gesture from Sean Penn.

The actor left one of his Oscar trophies with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a symbol of hope during as the country battles Russia’s invasion.

“If I know this is here with you, then I will feel better and stronger for the fights,” Penn, 62, told Zelenskyy during a Tuesday visit. “When you win, bring it back to Malibu. Because I feel much better knowing there is a piece of me here.”

The meeting came during Penn’s third visit to Ukraine since the war began in February. The actor, who won Oscars for “Mystic River” and “Milk,” is working on a documentary about the conflict.

“We have to win, quick,” Zelenskyy tells Penn in a video shared by the president’s office.

The president honored the actor with the Ukrainian Order of Merit and unveiled a plaque in Constitution Square that features Penn’s name.

Penn thanked Zelenskyy by describing three places in his life that bring him pride as “the place where my daughter was born, the place where my son was born and this.”

The president said Penn’s Oscar should be viewed as “a symbol of faith in the victory of our country.”

Zelenskyy has enlisted the support of multiple celebrities since Russia invaded Ukraine. He named “Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill an ambassador for the fund-raising initiative Army of Drones. He also made Barbra Streisand, Liev Schreiber and the band Imagine Dragons ambassadors for medical aid.

With News Wire Services