LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Renowned actor and filmmaker Sean Penn recently made an appearance on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' and shared his harrowing experiences of filming amid the Russia-Ukraine war.
His poignant narration, delivered in a "broken voice", profoundly touched the hearts of the viewers. Of late, the 63-year-old has been actively participating in humanitarian activities and leveraging his platform to bring attention to global issues.
Sean Penn narrates the horrors of filming in war-time Ukraine
In his conversation with Jimmy Kimmel, Sean Penn recounted his encounter with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a bunker on the night of Ukraine’s invasion by Russia.
Despite the US State Department’s advice to evacuate, the actor chose to remain in the country to continue filming his documentary 'Superpower', which is now available on Paramount Plus.
His experiences and the atrocities he witnessed were a stark departure from his original intention of creating a light-hearted portrayal of a comedic actor-turned-president.
"We had met with the president the day before," began Penn, adding, "It was the first time that I'd met him face to face, we'd met on Zoom before."
The Oscar-winning actor said, "We had decided without cameras the very first time because if he was going to participate in the documentary, I wanted him to be, you know, unguarded in a way that might not be with the typical news team or something like that."
"We had a very good meeting, he committed to start shooting the documentary the next day we went back to the hotel," stated Penn.
He continued, "By the time my eyes closed the rocket started coming into Kiff, and the sirens sort of escorted us into the morning, and then we got a surprising call from the president's office that he was going to continue and go ahead and have the first session of shooting."
Kimmel then pointed out that they hadn’t traveled to Ukraine with the knowledge that Russia was on the brink of launching an attack, saying, "You went to and correct me if I have any of this wrong to make a documentary about Zelenskyy."
"It was before any news of a Russian buildup," answered Penn, adding that they know that "Ukraine had been defensively at war in the East since 2014, but by and large a growing democracy in peace most of the country."
The actor clarified that they "were going to do a kind of light-hearted look at a comic actor who started out as a comedian and became president of this country." Penn and his crew made their first trip in November 2021 but didn't see the president on that trip.
"The buildup had begun to come to pace, everyone knew that coming over most of us and I talk about in film didn't think it was going to happen certainly not in November," explained the 'Mystic River' star.
He added that everybody in intelligence thought it was going to happen right "but the rest of us didn't."
"When it was time to go back we were using only [my partners and I] of course we're going to follow whatever story that we got," noted Penn.
He elaborated, stating that among the others present were the Ukrainian production crew and emphasized that they didn't wish to leave their homeland. Instead, they were determined to do whatever it took to preserve and fight for their freedom.
"Those who work in film production are no different and they had a belief that what we were there to document might be helpful," expressed the actor.
Sean Penn's narration moves 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' viewers
Sean Penn’s narration, characterized by his emotionally charged voice, resonated deeply with the viewers of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'
His firsthand recounting of the war’s atrocities and his interactions with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered an unvarnished view of the situation in the country.
A user wrote, "The horror or war and human suffering is reflected in Sean’s fragile/broken voice."
Another said, "Sean is a national treasure!!" while one added, "Legendary actor, legendary human being."
"Always loved Sean Penn, such an amazing human being, actor and humanitarian," noted someone else.
One more said, "Sean Penn is a wonderful empathic man and does exceptional actions without shouting for his own self praise. A true Humanitarian."
