Topline
Actor and human rights activist Sean Penn told Hollywood Authentic he was with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the day in February when Russia invaded the country, and that he had considered fighting for Ukraine.
Hollywood star and founder of CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) Sean Penn holds a press … [+]
Key Facts
Penn, who was in Ukraine filming a documentary in February, first met Zelensky over Zoom “at the beginning of the pandemic,” and met him in person for the first time the day before Russia invaded, and said he “was with [Zelelensky] during the invasion, on day one.”
The actor, 61, said he has considered fighting for Ukraine, though “where I am in life is short of doing that.”
Penn said that the only reason he would have extended his time in Ukraine “would’ve been for me to be holding a rifle.”
Penn said he intends to return to Ukraine with the nonprofit disaster relief organization he founded, Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE), which is working in Poland to aid Ukrainian refugees.
Penn said he intends to return to Ukraine with the nonprofit disaster relief organization he founded, Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE), which is working in Poland to aid Ukrainian refugees.
However, he isn’t sure right now what he can offer the country and doesn’t “spend a lot of time texting the president or his staff while they’re under siege and their people are being murdered.”
Crucial Quote
“And you kind of think what century is this?” Penn said. “Because I was at the gas station in Brentwood the other day and I’m now thinking about taking up arms against Russia? What the f**k is going on?”
Key Background
Penn, who has starred in movies including Milk, Mystic River and Dead Man Walking, fled Ukraine on foot to Poland in February, according to a photo he posted to Twitter shortly after Russia invaded the country. The actor’s support of the country has been praised by Zelensky’s office, who said in a statement that the country “is grateful to him for such a show of courage and honesty.” He has used his platform to urge support of Ukraine since the invasion began. In March he tweeted that he spoke with Zelensky’s chief of staff and pushed for jets to be delivered to Ukraine from the U.S. or Polish governments. The actor tweeted that he returned to Lviv, Ukraine, just weeks ago to meet with Gov. Maksym Kozytskyy to increase CORE’s in-country programs. Penn has also publicly asked that billionaire’s fund Ukraine’s air defense, which he believes could “end this war.”
Tangent
Penn has a lengthy history of being involved in global conflicts. After 9/11 he spent $56,000 to publish a letter in the Washington Post to urge against then-President George Bush from getting too involved in the Middle East. In the early 2000s Penn traveled to Iran and Iraq. Shortly after Hurricane Katrina caused catastrophic damage in New Orleans, Penn traveled there, going so far as to wade through water to help with rescues. In 2016, Penn published a Rolling Stone article which recounted a trip he took to Mexico to meet and interview drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán before he was captured.
Further Reading
Sean Penn Considered ‘Taking Up Arms Against Russia’ (Variety)
SEAN PENN (Hollywood Authentic)
A history of Sean Penn’s curious habit of inserting himself into international controversy (Washington Post)
From Chavez to Katrina to El Chapo: A history of Sean Penn’s diplomatic doozies (New York Daily News)
El Chapo Speaks (Rolling Stone)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/04/11/sean-penn-was-with-zelensky-on-the-day-russia-invaded-ukraine-he-says/