Current:Home > StocksSean Penn, "Superpower" co-director, says Zelenskyy changed as Russia invaded: "Like he was born for this"-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Sean Penn, "Superpower" co-director, says Zelenskyy changed as Russia invaded: "Like he was born for this"
View Date:2024-12-23 21:49:58
Two-time Academy Award winner Sean Penn was with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy when Russia invaded Ukraine — as he filmed a documentary that was intended to be about a comedy superstar-turned-president but ended up being about an existential threat to democracy.
Penn said Zelenskyy changed that day in February last year, and he noticed the shift when the two were together in the bunker of the presidential palace during the start of the invasion.
"I met him the day before and .. when he entered the room on the day of the invasion, to our cameras, ... it felt like he was born for this .. and it was a seamless rise," Penn told "CBS Mornings" on Wednesday. "It was a different person, cellularly, than the one I had met the day before. And he had — and has — as the Ukrainian people do, just complete resolve."
Their meeting is documented in the new film "Superpower," about the Ukraine war. Penn said it started as a "light-hearted tale" about Zelenskyy and that he met with the president over Zoom "long before the drums were beating on the Russian invasion."
The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the start of filming, and their first in-person meeting didn't take place until Feb. 23 last year, the day before the full-scale assault. They agreed that afternoon to start filming on Feb. 24 — a commitment Zelenskyy kept despite the unfolding crisis.
"I think that he understands that part of war-fighting in the new world is communications on a lot of levels," Penn said about why Zelenskyy agreed to film under the circumstances. "I think that what he felt was that there was going to be a time when tools like this, communications tools, would be part of the war-fighting effort."
Penn made seven trips to Ukraine for the film, which premieres on Paramount+ on Monday, Sept. 18. While there, he said he "finally" felt the unity and community Americans were promised in their own democracy.
"What you have in Ukraine is the most civil democracy, the tightest community, the greatest unity of any place I've ever felt in the world, and it's a direct representation of the best of the aspiration that we call our democracy," he said.
He said he hopes the film gives "context to Americans around the kitchen table to understand the ways in which everything that happens in Ukraine will be on our table, and that it's not so simple as to say, 'Oh, we're putting money in another country.' No, it's a great investment in our future."
If Americans don't support Ukrainians in their fight, Penn said, "we're gonna lose a lot."
- In:
- Ukraine
- Russia
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Gold is suddenly not so glittery after Trump’s White House victory
- Kentucky's Mark Stoops gives football coaches a new excuse: Blame fans for being cheap
- Australian minister credits improved relations with China for the release of a detained journalist
- NASA says its first asteroid samples likely contain carbon and water, 2 key parts of life
- Powerball winning numbers for Nov. 13 drawing: Jackpot rises to $113 million
- The US is moving quickly to boost Israel’s military. A look at what assistance it is providing
- Migrants flounder in Colombian migration point without the money to go on
- A Reality Check About Solar Panel Waste and the Effects on Human Health
- 'Heretic' spoilers! Hugh Grant spills on his horror villain's fears and fate
- Wall Street wore Birkenstocks as the sandal-maker debuted on the Stock Exchange
Ranking
- The results are in: Peanut the Squirrel did not have rabies, county official says
- Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos channel Coach Prime ahead of Phillies' NLDS Game 3 win
- Scott Disick Reveals Why His Sex Life Is “Terrible”
- Sony announces release of new PlayStation 5 Slim models just in time for the holiday season
- John Krasinski Reveals Wife Emily Blunt's Hilarious Response to His Sexiest Man Alive Title
- South African authorities target coal-smuggling gang they say contributed to a power crisis
- How long should you bake that potato? Here's how long it takes in oven, air fryer and more
- UN envoy: Colombian president’s commitments to rural reforms and peace efforts highlight first year
Recommendation
-
Wicked Director Jon M. Chu Reveals Name of Baby Daughter After Missing Film's LA Premiere for Her Birth
-
Trump says Netanyahu ‘let us down’ before the 2020 airstrike that killed a top Iranian general
-
Family Dollar offering refunds after recalling hundreds of consumer products
-
New York City woman speaks of daughter's death at music festival in Israel: The world lost my flower
-
Congress returns to unfinished business and a new Trump era
-
Indiana woman charged after daughter falls from roof of moving car and fractures skull, police say
-
Texas student Darryl George referred to alternative school after suspension over hairstyle
-
An Italian couple is unaccounted for in Southern Israel. The husband needs regular medical care