That didn’t take long! Sean Penn is back safely in LA after flying to Ukraine to film war documentary for Vice where actor said he walked ‘miles’ to the Polish border
- The actor, 61, was seen walking in LA with his estranged wife on Wednesday
- Leila George filed for divorce in October, but they’ve been seen together since New Year’s Eve
- Penn said Monday that he walked for ‘miles’ after abandoning his car to get out of Ukraine via the Polish border
- The Hollywood star flew into the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv, last week and attended a press briefing hours into the invasion
- Penn has been filming the documentary about the escalating tension in Ukraine since November last year
He was one of the first Hollywood stars coming to the rescue as he jetted to Ukraine to shoot a war documentary on the ongoing Russian attack for Vice.
But even as there’s no immediate end in sight for the conflict, actor and filmmaker Sean Penn was spotted safely back home in Los Angeles on Wednesday as he stepped out with his estranged wife Leila George and their dogs.
Just days before, the 61-year-old Oscar winner revealed how his brief visit to Ukraine concluded with him walking ‘miles’ to the safety of the Polish border.
That was fast! Sean Penn was already back in LA on Wednesday as he walked his dogs with estranged wife Leila George. He had been in Ukraine filming a documentary on itsnRussian Invasion
Earlier this week, Penn shared his experiences trying to get out of war-torn Ukraine on Twitter.
The Milk star said both he and his film crew decided to abandon their car and move on foot after seeing the thousands of Ukrainian residents fleeing for safety, which left lines of vehicles stretching for miles.
While tweeting on Monday, Sean described how cars were filled with women and children, with their only possession of value being the vehicle they were traveling in.
Relaxed: He showed off his fit arms in a black T-shirt, along with gray jeans and white trainers. Leila wore a white Mickey Mouse T-shirt with gray sweatpants, white shoes and a baseball cap
Odd pairing: The couple’s reunion comes after Leila filed for divorce in October, after they married the year before
Back together? Sean has kept quiet about their relationship status in recent months. They’ve been seen together several times since New Year’s Eve; seen in 2020 in LA
Sharing a picture dragging a taped up suitcase, Sean wrote: ‘Myself & two colleagues walked miles to the Polish border after abandoning our car on the side of the road.
‘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 has been filming the documentary about the escalating tension in Ukraine since November last year.
Fleeing: On Monday, Penn revealed he had to walk miles to the Polish border as he attempted to leave Ukraine while filming a VICE documentary on Russia’s invasion
It comes after Sean called President Vladmir Putin ‘s war on Ukraine a ‘brutal mistake’.
He wrote over the weekend: ‘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. President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people have risen as historic symbols of courage and principle.’
He added: ‘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.’
Listening: Sean has been filming the documentary about the escalating tension in Ukraine since November last year, pictured with President Volodymyr Zelensky last week
Taking action: Sean travelled to Ukraine in November to film the documentary before jetting to Kyiv last week to document the invasion
Penn flew into the capital of Ukraine last week, Kyiv, and was seen sitting front and center at a government press briefing mere hours into the invasion as he represented VICE for a documentary being filmed about the war, which Putin deemed a ‘special military operation.’
The documentary is a VICE Studios production, ‘in association with VICE World News and Endeavor Content,’ according to a spokesman for the media group.
In a translated Facebook post, the Ukrainian government said it was grateful for Sean being there and he was lauded as being more courageous than Western leaders.
Honest: It comes after Sean called President Vladimir Putin ‘s war on Ukraine a ‘brutal mistake’ on Twitter over the weekend
‘An American actor and filmmaker, Oscar winner Sean Penn arrived to Ukraine,’ the statement read.
‘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.
‘This morning the director visited the Office of the President and visited the press briefing of the advisor of the head of the Office of the Head of State Mikhail Podolâk and the Vice Prime Minister – the Minister of the Reintegration of temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine Irina Vere щуuk.
He added: ‘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’
On deck: Penn flew into the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv, last week and was seen sitting front and center at a government press briefing mere hours into the invasion
In action: The documentary -which has been in the works for months and has focused on the rising tensions in the region- is a VICE Studios production
‘He spoke to journalists, to our military, saw how we defend our country.
‘Sean Penn demonstrates the courage that many others, especially western politicians lack.’
He then met with President Volodymyr Zelensky, who posted a video of their meeting on his Instagram account.
Their conversation was muted but Zelensky, a former comedian and actor himself, wrote in a caption: ‘The more people know about the war in the Ukraine, the higher the likelihood of stopping Russia!’
Ukraine’s president has accused Russia of war crimes after Vladimir Putin’s forces launched what were believed to be cluster and vacuum bomb attacks in an attempt to turn the tide of a conflict that they have so-far been losing.
Doing his best: Their conversation was muted but Zelensky, a former comedian and actor himself, wrote in a caption: ‘The more people know about the war in the Ukraine’
In a late night address directed at Russia, Volodymyr said there would ‘definitely be an international tribunal’ for what he said was a ‘violation of all conventions’ and added that ‘no one in the world will forgive you for killing peaceful Ukrainian people.’ Prosecutors at The Hague say they intend to open a probe ‘as soon as possible.’
Zelensky spoke after what appeared to be a cluster bomb attack on the city of Kharkiv on Monday which killed at least 11 people and wounded scores more, and after Ukraine’s ambassador to the US accused Putin’s forces of using a banned thermobaric bomb on the capital of Kyiv overnight.
The bombardment of Kharkiv continued Tuesday morning with a rocket landing just in front of the civilian public administration building, destroying the road outside and blowing the windows out of the building itself.
Footage from inside shows the building was heavily damaged, with ceilings collapsing and rubble strewn around.
Meanwhile Sean has kept quiet about his relationship status with Leila since she filed for divorce in October.
He and the 29-year-old Australian actress — who is just months younger than his eldest daughter Dylan Penn — met in 2015 on the set of The Last Face and they went on to date for five years, before wedding in a private ceremony at their home in July 2020.
However, the union was short lived and reportedly troubled even before they tied the knot, and she filed for divorce late last year.
The couple appeared to have reunited while celebrating New Year’s Eve, and they been spotted together several times in recent months.
The Licorice Pizza actor was previously married to Robin Wright and Madonna before his latest nuptials.
Trying: Penn previously filmed his philanthropic efforts in Haiti for a documentary called Citizen Penn, after a devastating earthquake shook the nation; seen in 2021
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