Sean Penn Wants Everyone to Remember There’s a War in Ukraine, and ‘It’s Hell’ (Exclusive)

Sean Penn has a new mission: to remind people that Ukraine is still in a terrible war against Russia, which he thinks many Americans have forgotten.

“Look, it’s been almost two years,” Penn tells PEOPLE of the war in Ukraine. “And it’s f—— hell.”

Penn is releasing a new documentary called Superpower (streaming on Paramount+ beginning Monday night) that highlights Ukraine’s efforts to cling to its independence in the face of a Russian invasion.

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The documentary began as the story of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his incredible rise from comedian to president, but changed days after filming began, when war broke out. Now Penn hopes the footage and the access he got in Ukraine will help change, or at the very least, open the eyes and hearts of the American people and its politicians.

“I think because I was able to go there, now we have the right context to see how [this war] affects us and the rest of the world,” says Penn. “And that we’re going to end up involved in it one way or another if we don’t take advantage of the opportunity they’ve given us, which is to just support their freedom, and their self-defense, and their territorial integrity. ”

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A city in Ukraine was devastated by the war against Russia. ANDREY BORODULIN/AFP via Getty

Penn has of course been involved in other times of crisis around the world, including rescuing people in his own boat after Hurricane Katrina and bringing relief and aid to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.

“I had people reporting on my previous activities in their own way, without any information,” he says of his past. “And they don’t know me. They make their assumptions, ‘Why is this actor going around doing anything.’ And I thought, ‘You know, this time I’ll just say, Hey, hop into your backpack, come with me and see what it’s really like.‘ And that’s what this film is all about – to give people context for the reports they’re reading and hearing about.”

Penn says he fell in love with the country and its people during filming. “It’s a beautiful place,” he says. “We have to remember, three days before the war, they were like you and me. They were in cinemas, watching the same movies as us.”

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Penn notes that he was particularly impressed by Zelenskyy, who provided Penn and his team with a unique approach during the Ukraine crisis.

“He’s a quick reader of the political dynamics in the world,” Penn says of Zelensky, who previously was an actor on a TV show that, coincidentally, was about an actor who becomes president. “He also has real command. He impresses very impressionable people. I don’t have those skills.”

Penn adds, “A guy who really understands the global economy and how this war affects that. He’s a very good communicator, and he’s been very level-headed in really challenging times.”

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Actor Sean Penn presents one of his Oscars to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukrainian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty

Penn hopes Superpower it will not only inform viewers, but help make an impact.

“I think this way I’m discovering more and more what my worth is,” he says about making films. “I don’t know the answers, but I have impressions to share, not so much by talking about them as by showing people what I see and letting them form their own impressions.”

He adds: “I can be a tour guide and I think I’m trusted because I’m trustworthy with people who are in these critical positions.”

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Although Penn says he doesn’t want to go into politics himself (“I’d rather die screaming from rectal cancer,” he says), he hopes The superpower will also resonate with American politicians — and to get much more involved in efforts to help Ukraine fight the invasion.

“I know we’re going to be really proud of ourselves if we get into this thing and we’re going to be on the right side of history,” he says. “And we shall fully recover all that we have lost in the reputation of our friends and their lives.”

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Source: HIS Education