Sean Penn and Amy Madigan were honored at the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday night, taking home Oscars for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively. Penn won for his role in “One Battle After Another,” while Madigan was recognized for her performance in “Weapons.” Paul Thomas Anderson also received an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for “One Battle After Another,” and Ryan Coogler won Best Original Screenplay for “Sinners.”
Penn was not present at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles to accept his award. presenter Kieran Culkin accepted on his behalf. This marks Penn’s third Academy Award win, having previously won for his roles in “Mystic River” and “Milk.” “One Battle After Another” has now secured two Oscars, winning first for Best Adapted Screenplay, a historic achievement as the first film to win in the opening category in 24 years.
The ceremony, hosted by Conan O’Brien, featured a performance by Huntr/x from the animated film “KPop Demon Hunters” performing their song “Golden.” A musical fusion performance recreating elements from “I Lied To You” from “Sinners” also took place, featuring Miles Caton, Raphael Saadiq, Misty Copeland, Eric Gales, Buddy Guy, Brittany Howard, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Jayme Lawson, Li Jun Li, Bobby Rush, Shaboozey and Alice Smith.
Security was heightened at the event due to ongoing international conflicts, with a 1.6-kilometer perimeter established around the Dolby Theatre and over 1,000 law enforcement personnel deployed, including SWAT units, bomb technicians, and snipers. Artificial intelligence-powered cameras were also utilized to detect suspicious activity.
Several actors wore pins signaling support for ceasefire in ongoing conflicts, including those in Iran, Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan, displaying the “Artists4Ceasefire” emblem.
“Frankenstein” was awarded Best Production Design, while “Avatar: Fire and Ash” received the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. “Sinners” composer Ludwig Göransson won his third Oscar. The Best Animated Feature Film award went to “KPop Demon Hunters.”
The awards indicate also included reunions of cast members from “Moulin Rouge!” (Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor) and “Bridesmaids” (Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Rose Byrne, Ellie Kemper and Maya Rudolph), as well as appearances by Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr.
