Sean Penn enjoys a cigarette next to a 'no smoking' sign at LAX

Sean Penn enjoys a cigarette next to a ‘no smoking’ sign at LAX airport in Los Angeles… after loaning his Oscar to President Zelensky in Ukraine

Sean Penn enjoyed a cigarette next to a ‘NO SMOKING’ sign at LAX in Los Angeles on Thursday.

The two-time Academy Award winner, 62, returned from the war-torn country looking rugged and ripped in a white T-shirt and dark gray jeans. 

This comes after he loaned one of his two Best Actor Oscars to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, 44, in the Ukraine.

Rebel with a cause: Sean Penn, 62, enjoyed a cigarette next to a ‘NO SMOKING’ sign at LAX on Thursday

With his vascular muscles straining each sleeve, the actor carried a pair of large backpacks and a Carhartt utility jacket. 

Penn’s durable look was accentuated by his chiseled features and facial scruff, which was cropped into a dark mustache and matching goatee. 

The sides of his full head of hair were dappled with gray while designer shades casually hung from his neckline. 

Setting down his bags and leaning back against the wall, the Dead Man Walking star took out a cigarette and lit up next to the ‘NO SMOKING’ sign. 

Penn didn’t seem to be aware that he was breaking the rules and savored a few drags beside the sign before moving on. 

Rugged and ripped: With his vascular muscles straining each sleeve, the Oscar Winner carried a pair of large backpacks and a Carhartt utility jacket. Penn’s durable look was accentuated by his chiseled features and facial scruff, which was cropped into a dark mustache and matching goatee

This comes after he loaned one of his two Best Actor Oscars to Ukrainian President Zelensky.

‘This is for you,’ Sean told Zelensky as he placed one of his Best Actor Oscars on the president’s desk. ‘It’s just a symbolic silly thing, but if I know this is here with you, then I’ll feel better and stronger for the fight.’

The A-list humanitarian – who has earned a reputation for courting controversy both at home and abroad – has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine ever since war broke out in February. 

This recent trip to capital of Kyiv marks the third time that Penn has visited the war-ravaged nation and met with his ‘great friend’ President Zelensky. 

‘When you win,’ Penn told Zelensky, ‘bring it back to Malibu. I’ll feel much better knowing a piece of me is here.’

President Zelensky carefully placed the Oscar on his mantlepiece and presented the Fast Times at Ridgemont High star with a Ukrainian Order of Merit, thanking him ‘for his sincere support and significant contribution to the popularization of Ukraine in the world.’

It’s a bird… It’s a plane… It’s Sean Penn: The A-list humanitarian – who has earned a reputation for courting controversy both at home and abroad – has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine ever since war broke out in February

Penn won his two Best Actor Oscars for his acclaimed performances in the 2003 crime drama Mystic River and 2008’s Milk, which told the story of gay rights activist Harvey Milk. 

In addition to his storied career in Hollywood, the filmmaker has consistently engaged in activism around the globe. 

Penn threw himself into the aftermaths of both Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Haiti earthquake in 2010. 

He has previously made contact with the Presidents of Cuba and Venezuela in addition to a controversial 2015 interview with the notorious Mexican drug lord El Chapo Guzmán, which was widely-mocked. 

Penn’s immediate smoke break upon his return to Los Angeles could also be attributed to the stress of his 29-year-old son Hopper Penn opening about up about his struggles with crystal meth addiction and his famous dad’s ‘tough love.’

Bulging with glory: President Zelensky graciously accepted Penn’s Oscar and presented the muscular Fast Times at Ridgemont High star with a Ukrainian Order of Merit, thanking him ‘for his sincere support and significant contribution to the popularisation of Ukraine in the world’

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