The actor was working on a documentary amid Russia's invasion.
Sean Penn recently claimed that he and his colleagues abandoned their car on their way out of Ukraine.
The 61-year-old traveled to the country last week to continue working on a documentary about Russian tensions and that's when Russian forces invaded. The actor, activist, and director was working on a documentary that chronicled the invasion and war launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to PEOPLE.
Sean Penn walks to Poland, describes mass exodus of Ukrainian refugees https://t.co/E8TnacxYSa pic.twitter.com/UjHYnFIql1
— New York Post (@nypost) March 1, 2022
The Oscar winner tweeted a photo in which he appeared to be walking on a road with his luggage amid a long line of cars bumper to bumper. "Myself & two colleagues walked miles to the Polish border after abandoning our car on the side of the road. Almost all the cars in this photo carry women & children only, most without any sign of luggage, and a car their only possession of value," Penn wrote. Penn said in a statement on Saturday, "Already a brutal mistake of lives taken and hearts broken, and if he doesn't relent, I believe Mr. Putin will have made a most horrible mistake for all of humankind. [Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy] and the Ukrainian people have risen as historic symbols of courage and principle. Ukraine is the tip of the spear for the democratic embrace of dreams. If we allow it to fight alone, our soul as America is lost."
Sean Penn in Ukraine filming documentary as Russia invades https://t.co/oipJyWX5h5 pic.twitter.com/1ISZbtsjcs
— New York Post (@nypost) February 26, 2022
According to Variety, Vice Studios has confirmed that the actor was on the ground in Ukraine working on the documentary which is a Vice Studios production in association with Vice World News and Endeavor Content. The actor previously visited the country in November 2021 and visited with the country’s military in preparation for the project. Penn had visited the Office of the President and spoken with Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk. The Office of the President issued a statement through the Ukrainian embassy praising the filmmaker. The message was sent to Newsweek by the Ukrainian embassy along with a photo of Penn sitting in on a government press briefing. The statement read: The director specially came to Kyiv to record all the events that are currently happening in Ukraine and to tell the world the truth about Russia's invasion of our country. Sean Penn is among those who support Ukraine in Ukraine today. Our country is grateful to him for such a show of courage and honesty. Sean Penn is demonstrating bravery that many others have been lacking, in particular some Western politicians. The more people like that—true friends of Ukraine, who support the fight for freedom—the quicker we can stop this heinous invasion by Russia. According to the Daily Mail, the actor is reportedly back in the U.S. and was seen walking in LA with his estranged wife on Wednesday.
Sean Penn is back safely in LA after flying to Ukraine to film war documentary https://t.co/EmX7fvwgYA
— Daily Mail Celebrity (@DailyMailCeleb) March 3, 2022
References:
https://variety.com/2022/film/news/sean-penn-ukraine-documentary-russia-invasion-1235189570/
https://twitter.com/SeanPenn/status/1498390093375016965?s=20&t=2iRSYJ93S4-bm3J5BwiYFQ
https://www.newsweek.com/sean-penn-ukraine-film-documentary-russian-invasion-1682336
https://people.com/movies/sean-penn-abandons-car-on-side-of-road-in-ukraine/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Emma McIntyre
