Intention To Make A Documentary, Sean Penn Now Leaves Ukraine On Foot To Poland

Sean Penn (Photo: Twitter @SeanPenn)

JAKARTA - Hollywood director Sean Penn was in Ukraine some time ago to shoot a documentary on the Russian invasion. Unfortunately, the intention did not last long, Sean is now among the thousands of refugees who fled to Poland, the exodus on foot.

The 61-year-old actor uploaded a photo on Twitter on Monday local time, March 1, showing himself wearing a backpack and suitcase on the roadside beside a row of cars.

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. pic.twitter.com/XSwCDgYVSH

— Sean Penn (@SeanPenn) February 28, 2022

"Me and two colleagues walked the miles to the Polish border after leaving our car on the side of the road," Penn wrote. "Almost all of the cars in this photo carry only women and children, most without any luggage, and they are their only valuable possession."

In the tweet, he did not explain why he had to leave their vehicle.

A spokeswoman in Los Angeles, Mara Buxbaum, told Reuters by email Tuesday that Penn had made it out of Ukraine safely. He declined to answer other questions about his whereabouts or what the conditions were for his departure from Ukraine.

Penn was in Kyiv last Thursday attending a press conference in President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's office on the first day of the Russian invasion, shooting a video for a documentary on the crisis, Zelenskiy's office said in a statement at the time.

"Sean Penn was among those who supported Ukraine in Ukraine today. Our country thanks him for the courage and honesty he has shown," he continued.

The statement said Penn had interviewed Ukrainian political and military figures, as well as journalists, as part of the production.

Penn has been in many anti-war and humanitarian operations over the years. The Discovery Plus 2020 documentary, "Citizen Penn" chronicles the actor's efforts to found the non-profit Community Organized Relief Effort, also known as CORE, in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake.