The “Mystic River” actor, who recently filmed a documentary in Ukraine, has not publicly confirmed that he has COVID-19.
Penn, 61, had been scheduled to present director Paul Thomas Anderson with a special medallion for his nomination for best feature film (Licorice Pizza), according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Oscar-winning actor had a cameo in the film.
Paul Thomas Anderson announces Sean Penn tested positive for COVID and that’s why he couldn’t make it tonight to present medallion for Licorice Pizza. PTA acknowledges how much Penn stepped up during pandemic, likening it to soldier back from combat and this happens… #DGAawardspic.twitter.com/tpHLkXf53Q
Standing on stage, Anderson explained why Penn was a no-show.
“Sean tested positive for COVID, which is kind of crazy considering what he’s done for all of us,” Anderson told the audience at the Beverly Hilton. “Like a World War I veteran coming home, slipping on a step. So, it’s a drag not to have him here. It’s a pleasure to work with him and all the actors. It’s the best part of this job that we all have.”
Penn’s ex-wife, Leila George, took the actor’s place and presented Anderson’s medallion, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Anderson lost out to Jane Campion, who won the best feature film award for “The Power of the Dog,” the entertainment outlet reported.
Penn returned to California after filming a documentary about Russia’s invasion, Vice Studios confirmed.
Sean Penn In this March 27, 2018 photo, author-activist Sean Penn poses for a portrait in New York to promote his novel "Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff." (Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP) (Taylor Jewell/Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP)
Sean Penn Actors Sean Penn, Demi Moore, and Robert De Niro, from left, arrive for the premiere of their motion picture "We're No Angels," in New York, on December 14, 1989. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan) (PETER MORGAN/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Sean Penn Sean Penn, left, and Dylan Penn pose for portrait photographs for the film 'Flag Day', at the 74th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Saturday, July 10, 2021. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP) (Vianney Le Caer/Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)
Sean Penn Actor Sean Penn arrives at the Cinema for Peace benefit for the J/P Haitian Relief Organization in Beverly Hills, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond) (Jason Redmond/AP)
Sean Penn ** STAND-ALONE PHOTO PACKAGE FOR USE WITH MADONNA'S 50TH BIRTHDAY - FILE ** In this April 17, 1986 file photo, Sean Penn and his wife, singer Madonna chat with reporters prior to the screening of Penn's new movie "At Close Range" in Los Angeles. (AP photo/Craig Mathew, file) (CRAIG MATHEW/AP)
Sean Penn FILE- In this April 13, 2016 file photo, actor Sean Penn arrives at a gala in Los Angeles. Atria Books announced Monday, Nov. 13, 2017, that Penn’s novel, “Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff” will come out March 27. (Photo by Rich Fury/Invision/AP, File) (Rich Fury/AP)
Sean Penn J/P HRO co-founder and actor Sean Penn and actress Soleil Moon Frye attend the J/P Haitian Relief Organization NYC Marathon after-party at Henry at the Hudson Hotel on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013 in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) (Evan Agostini/Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Sean Penn Actor Sean Penn, left, director Julian Schnabel, center, and actor Josh Brolin arrive for the premiere of "Miral" at United Nations headquarters, Monday, March 14, 2011. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow) (Jason DeCrow/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Sean Penn US actor Sean Penn carries the belongings of a person displaced by the earthquake as people are relocated from the Petion ville Golf Club to a new camp, Corail-Cesselesse, in Port-au-Prince, Saturday, April 10, 2010. Haiti's government is beginning to relocate thousands of people in a multi-agency effort to move people to higher ground before the rainy season. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) (Ramon Espinosa/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Sean Penn Actors Sean Penn, left, and Warren Beatty walk in New York, June 5, 1986. Penn is the star of the upcoming film "The Pickup Artist", which Beatty produced. (AP Photo/Frankie Ziths) (FRANKIE ZITHS/AP)
Sean Penn Sean Penn arrives at a screening of "All The King's Men" in at McAlister Auditorium at Tulane University in New Orleans on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2006.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (ALEX BRANDON/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Sean Penn Ben Stiller, left, Donna Karan and Sean Penn arrive at the Help Haiti benefit honoring Sean Penn hosted by the Stiller Foundation and The J/P Haitian Relief Organization, in New York, Friday, Feb. 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes) (Charles Sykes/AP)
Sean Penn Sean Penn participates in the panel discussion "Expanding Cross-Sector Coordination in Haiti" at the Clinton Global Initiative, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) (Mark Lennihan/AP)
Sean Penn From left, David Banda, Mercy James, Madonna and Sean Penn arrives at the 5th Annual Sean Penn & Friends HELP HAITI HOME Gala Benefiting at the Montage Hotel on January 9, 2016 in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) (Jordan Strauss/Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Sean Penn American actor Sean Penn founder of J/P Haitian Relief Organization speaks during the"Action Day"at the COP21, United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Le Bourget north of Paris, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015. President Francois Hollande is encouraging mayors of the world to get involved in fighting climate change and praising those that are already setting an example with low-emission buildings and public transport policies. (AP PhotoMichel Euler) (Michel Euler/AP)
Sean Penn Sean Penn, winner of the best actor Oscar for "Milk," is joined by Kate Winslet, left, best actress for "The Reader," and best supporting actress Penelope Cruz for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," during the 81st Academy Awards Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles) (Matt Sayles/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Sean Penn Aloe Blacc, left, and Sean Penn pose for a photo at Rock 'N' Relief on Friday, March, 5, 2021, in Los Angeles. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP) (Richard Shotwell/Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
Sean Penn Sean Penn speaks at a gathering in Los Angeles called ?The Walls of Justice? in which Hollywood celebrities gathered to appeal for an end to the violence following the Rodney King trial, May 1, 1992. (AP Photo/Julie Markes) (Julie Markes/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Sean Penn Haiti's President Jovenel Moise, right, speaks with US actor Sean Penn at the One Planet Summit, in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris, France, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. World leaders, investment funds and energy magnates promised to devote new money and technology to slow global warming at a summit in Paris that President Emmanuel Macron hopes will rev up the Paris climate accord that U.S. President Donald Trump has rejected. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) (Christophe Ena/AP)
Sean Penn U.S. actor Sean Penn attends a news conference about the Cinema For Peace fund raising gala in Berlin on Monday, Feb. 14, 2011. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) (Markus Schreiber/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Sean Penn Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE) founder Sean Penn poses for a portrait at a CORE coronavirus testing site at Crenshaw Christian Center, Friday, Aug. 21, 2020, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) (Chris Pizzello/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
Sean Penn Director Sean Penn poses for photographers upon arrival at the screening of the film The Neon Demon at the 69th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Friday, May 20, 2016. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan) (Joel Ryan/AP)
Sean Penn Actor Sean Penn addresses the crowd after receiving the 2012 Peace Summit Award from Mikhail Gorbachev, former President of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, during the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates Wednesday, April 25, 2012, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) (Charles Rex Arbogast/AP)
Sean Penn Sean Penn poses for photographers at the photo call for the film 'Flag Day' at the 74th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Sunday, July 11, 2021. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP) (Vianney Le Caer/Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)
Sean Penn Actor-director Sean Penn gestures as he participates in a discussion at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Mass. Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013 regarding Haiti in the wake of a devastating earthquake three years ago. Penn is the co-founder of the J/P Haitian Relief Organization. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) (Elise Amendola/AP)
Sean Penn George Clooney presents the Joel Siegel Award to Sean Penn during the 17th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) (Chris Pizzello/AP)
Sean Penn ** ADDS NAME OF SECOND PERSON IN PICTURE ** Musician Bono and American actor, director and Cannes jury president Sean Penn arrive for the premiere of the film "The Third Wave" during the 61st International film festival in Cannes, southern France, Friday, May 16, 2008. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau) (Lionel Cironneau/AP)
Sean Penn FILE - In this Aug. 11, 2021 file photo, Sean Penn arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of "Flag Day" at the Directors Guild of America Theater in Los Angeles. A disaster relief organization founded by Penn is boosting Georgia's drive to inoculate people against the coronavirus, though some of its pop-up vaccine clinics have struggled to attract people.(Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File) (Jordan Strauss/Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Sean Penn FILE - In this Feb. 22, 2015 file photo, presenter Sean Penn, left, and filmmaker Alejandro Iñárritu pose in the press room after winning multiple awards including best original screenplay, best director and best picture for Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)," at the Oscars in Los Angeles. On Saturday, March 7, during a promotional tour for his new film The Gunman, in Beverly Hills, Penn opened up about the green card joke he made during the Oscars saying that he has absolutely no apologies for his comment. I found it hilarious, Iñárritu said after the ceremony. Sean and I have that kind of brutal (relationship) where only true friendship can survive. Iñárritu directed Penn in the 2003 film 21 Grams and the two remain close to this date. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) (Jordan Strauss/Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Sean Penn Robin Wright Penn and Sean Penn arrive at the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles) (Matt Sayles/AP)
Sean Penn Actor Sean Penn, left, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, back, and Governor Gavin Newsom, right, greet each other at a press conference held at the launch of a mass COVID-19 vaccination site at Dodger Stadium on Friday, Jan. 15, 2021, in Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via AP, Pool) (Irfan Khan/AP)
Sean Penn Charlize Theron and Sean Penn arrive on the red carpet at the screening of the film Mad Max: Fury Road at the 68th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Thursday, May 14, 2015. (Photo by Arthur Mola/Invision/AP) (Arthur Mola/Arthur Mola/Invision/AP)
Sean Penn Madonna, left, and Sean Penn arrive at the 5th Annual Sean Penn & Friends HELP HAITI HOME Gala Benefiting at the Montage Hotel on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016 in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) (Jordan Strauss/Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Sean Penn Holding an Egyptian national flag, American actor Sean Penn, right, and Egyptian actor Khaled El-Nabawy, second left, are flanked by protesters in Tahrir Square, the focal point of the uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak, in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Sept. 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Bakry) (Mahmoud Bakry/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Sean Penn BEVERLY HILLS, CA - NOVEMBER 13: Sean Penn, Focus' James Schamus, Focus' Andrew Karpen and Producer Michael London at Focus Features' Los Angeles Premiere of 'MILK' on November 13, 2008 at Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, CA. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Invision/AP Images) (Eric Charbonneau/Eric Charbonneau/Invision/AP)
Sean Penn Charlize Theron and Sean Penn arrive at the World Premiere of "A Million Ways To Die In The West" on Thursday, May 15, 2014, in Westwood, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) (Jordan Strauss/Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Sean Penn American director, actor and jury president Sean Penn speaks on stage during the awards ceremony at the 61st International film festival in Cannes, southern France, on Sunday, May 25, 2008. (AP Photo/Jeff Christensen) (Jeff Christensen /AP)
Sean Penn Kate Winslet and Sean Penn are seen backstage during the 82nd Academy Awards Sunday, March 7, 2010, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Vince Bucci) ** EMBARGOED AT THE REQUEST OF THE ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS & SCIENCES FOR USE UPON CONCLUSION OF THE ACADEMY AWARDS TELECAST ** (Vince Bucci/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Sean Penn Director Sean Penn poses for photographers during a photo call for the film The Last Face at the 69th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Friday, May 20, 2016. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan) (Joel Ryan/AP)
Sean Penn Sean Penn presents Bill Maher with the First Amendment Award at the 26th Annual Literary Awards Festival at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Wednesday, September 28, 2016, in Beverly Hills, Calif (Photo by Casey Curry/Invision/AP) (Casey Curry/Casey Curry/Invision/AP)
Sean Penn American actor and jury president Sean Penn, right, talks to French actress Catherine Deneuve who won the special prize of the festival during the awards ceremony at the 61st International film festival in Cannes, southern France, on Sunday, May 25, 2008. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) (Francois Mori/AP)
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