Hollywood star Sean Penn escapes Ukraine on foot

Sean Penn, Hollywood actor and director, found himself among thousands of refugees fleeing to Poland on foot just days after visiting Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, to film scenes for his documentary on Russia’s invasion.

On February 28, the 61-year-old actor shared a photo on Twitter of himself trudging along the shoulder of a road beside a line of cars stretching into the distance, carrying a backpack and toting a piece of baggage on wheels.

“Myself & two colleagues walked miles to the Polish border after abandoning our car on the side of the road,” Penn wrote, “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.”

Sean had “made it out of Ukraine safely,” according to a publicist in Los Angeles, Mara Buxbaum, who told Reuters via email on Tuesday.

She remained tight-lipped about his whereabouts and the circumstances surrounding his departure from Ukraine.

The actor was in Kyiv last Thursday for a press conference at President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office on the first day of Russia’s invasion, recording material for a documentary chronicling the crisis, according to a statement from the President’s office at the time.

“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,” read the statement.

The documentary directed by Sean Penn is a Vice Studio production in collaboration with Vice World News and Endeavor Content. In November 2021, he flew to Ukraine for the first time and began his preparations by inspecting the country’s military. He did not quit Ukraine immediately once the crisis erupted, instead continued to shoot despite the dangerous environment until March 1.

(With inputs from Reuters)