Russian forces have been pounding the Ukrainian capital and other cities with artillery and cruise missiles, with Ukraine's forces putting up "very determined resistance" to the three-pronged Russian advance, according to U.S. defense officials. Actor Sean Penn, who has been the center of controversy lately for his extremely outdated homophobic and transphobic comments, is on the ground in Ukraine for a documentary with Vice Studios about Russia's ongoing invasion of the country, a studio rep confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. The documentary is a Vice Studios production and will be produced in association with Vice World News and Endeavor Content.
The Office of the President of Ukraine released a statement on Facebook on Thursday about Penn’s presence in Ukraine and praised the actor for his work. “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,” reads the translated statement.
The translated statement goes on to say:
Sean Penn demonstrates the courage that many others, especially western politicians lack. The more such people, true friends of Ukraine, who support the fight for freedom, the sooner it will be possible to stop the massive attack on Russia.
The director has already arrived in Ukraine in November 2021. Within the framework of the preparation of the documentary, he visited the Priazov and talked with the Ukrainian military.
Sean Penn Condemns Vladimir Putin's Actions
Penn is known for his outspoken views on numerous political and social causes, and this isn't the first time the actor has visited a war zone. In 2002, he visited Iraq to protest the Bush Administration's plans for a military strike on Iraq. Then, in 2005, he visited Iran, acting as a journalist for the San Francisco Chronicle, and in 2006 he received the Christopher Reeve First Amendment Award from the Creative Coalition for his commitment to free speech. Penn is also known for publicly endorsing Joe Biden for the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
Regarding his most recent documentary, Penn sent a message to THR that condemned the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin while supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and encouraging Americans to get involved:
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,” Penn said. “President Zelensky 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.
The actor’s nonprofit Community Organized Relief Effort, or CORE, founded in response to the earthquake in Haiti, is a crisis response organization "to fill gaps, mobilize resources, and establish trust and collaboration from within communities to empower them to break perennial cycles of poverty and vulnerability," and it assisted with the COVID-19 response in the United States.