Often when natural disasters and moments of unrest are happening in the world, celebrities are right there front and center putting themselves into those situations.
Sometimes they are done in earnest—such as when Steve Buscemi returned to his old firefighting job in NYC during 9/11—while others are seen as tasteless and attention-seeking. This is no different for actor Sean Penn, who is currently on the ground in Ukraine filming a documentary of Russia's invasion.
Penn is in the news more often than not these days. He has made headlines recently for his heavy-handed and disrespectful opinions on American masculinity. Vice Studios, the producer of Penn’s documentary, confirmed his appearance in Kyiv.
This may be jarring to many, but it turns out that Penn has been frequently visiting Ukraine for research for his documentary, and has been in the works for several months before Russia’s invasion this week. Back in November, Penn was photographed interviewing Ukrainian government officials dressed in combat gear.
The actor was seen at a news briefing in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. He had arrived in the country that morning, according to reports.
Newsweek received a statement from Ukrainian government officials which expressed their gratitude for Penn’s appearance in the capital, and for his continued efforts in his documentary.
“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.”
Many in the Twitterverse have expressed their confusion and disgust at Penn’s appearance in Kyiv, while others praise his efforts.
This isn’t, however, the actor’s first rodeo with activism in times of global unrest. After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, he flew down to help with relief efforts, and following the 2010 earthquake he also founded a relief organization called Community Organized Relief Effort, or CORE, for efforts in Haiti.
At present, there is no release date for the documentary that Sean Penn is currently filming.
The post Why Is Sean Penn On The Ground In Ukraine? appeared first on The Mother of All Nerds.
Why Is Sean Penn On The Ground In Ukraine?
Source: Pinoy Inquirer News
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