American actor, film director, screenwriter and producer, two-time Oscar winner Sean Penn recalled a personal meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which took place more than 20 years ago. He told about this in an interview with the popular comedian Jimmy Kimmel, which is available on YouTube.
Kimmel began the interview by showing a joint photo of Putin, Penn and actor, film director, screenwriter and producer Jack Nicholson.
According to the 65-year-old Penn, the meeting took place in Russia in 2001 as part of the Moscow International Film Festival. The event was also attended by actress Lara Flynn Boyle, as well as actress and model Peta Wilson.
Penn noted that the conversation with the Russian president turned to paternity, and Putin "clearly understood more than it might seem." The head of state impressed the actor, he realized that Putin "can be trusted."
"It seemed to me that there was something real in Putin's eyes," Penn stressed.
At the same time, now, after more than 20 years, he "felt deceived."
Penn, who made a documentary about Vladimir Zelensky, added that "the United States should provide them with the resources to defeat Putin." He did not mention Ukraine directly.
As EADaily reported, since the beginning of the special military operation, Penn — at the "call of the heart" or just for money — has been fiercely supporting Ukraine. He came to Kiev and met with Zelensky personally.
In an interview, he said that the Oscar statuettes would be handed over to Ukraine, where they could be melted down into bullets "to shoot Russians."
In February of this year, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated that some American stars received considerable sums for visiting and speaking at Ukraine. The politician also pointed to the fact that the money was allocated from the budget of the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
At the same time, information appeared in the media that actress Angelina Jolie received $ 20 million for a trip to Lviv, actor Orlando Bloom — $ 8 million. Sean Penn, Ben Stiller and Jean-Claude Van Damme could also make money on sympathy for Ukrainians.