The Guardian: How Zelensky became a hero of world celebrities

Kyiv - American actor Ben Stiller gave Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi a bear hug and told him that he thought of him as a hero when he entered his office last year. In order to meet the former actor and comedian in person, a number of famous people traveled a great distance to Kiev, including Stiller.

According to the British newspaper The Guardian, commercial flights—as well as private plane flights—are prohibited over Ukraine for security reasons, so the group had to travel from Poland by night train. Sean Penn arrived first, who had already made three trips to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion last February. Stiller followed him.

Zelenskyi will undoubtedly appear in the documentary he is making about the conflict. Zelensky received one of Penn's Oscars during his most recent visit, which Penn instructed him to keep for the Ukrainian victory.

The actor demonstrated to the president how strongly he believed that he would survive the war. The British adventurer Bear Grylls, the British billionaire Richard Branson, the actress Jessica Chastain, the U2 frontman Bono Vox, the American comedian and host David Letterman, or the historian Timothy Snyder were some of the other celebrities Zelenskyj received.

Soldiers and refugees were encountered in Ukraine by Angelina Jolie and action movie star Jean-Claude Van Damme while they were filming in Kyiv. van damme posed with soldiers in December and uttered the battle cry, "Glory to Ukraine, glory to the heroes," as is customary.

Additionally, despite the fact that many famous people have not yet visited Ukraine, they are organizing charitable events thanks to their notoriety. Before the war even broke out, Zelensky's friends included actress Mila Kunis, who was born in Ukraine, and her husband Ashton Kutcher. They raised more than $30 million at the outset.

One of United24's ambassadors is the Star Wars actor Mark Hamill, who is supporting Ukraine through the global initiative. Additionally, he recently took on the role of English-language voice for a Ukrainian air alert app.

People involved in Zelensky's communications strategy claim that he was the one who ensured Hollywood continued to follow the developments in his nation even after the initial media interest in him had somewhat subsided. According to Nikki Fowler, president of the Hollywood Critics Association, "Given his background, it's natural for him to make an impactful speech.".

She continues, "I think it has an impact on many famous people. She claims that Zelensky is respected in Hollywood because he considers him to be a "real hero" for him.

The Hollywood Reporter journalist Etan Vlessing claims that in an article about how politics and popular culture are intertwined, he describes the Ukrainian president as "the embodiment of a European leader from a country that is not expected to stand at the head of Europe.". Zelensky has achieved international stardom in Hollywood, but Valery Zaluzhny, the chief of the general staff of Ukraine, is more well-liked there even though he has only given a small number of interviews since the war started.

The army, and by extension Zaluny, are blamed by Ukrainians for the war's victories. Zelensky's reputation at home was damaged when he claimed in an interview this summer that he chose not to acknowledge that the nation was in imminent danger of a Russian invasion because of worries about the economy.

The Ukrainian people have a difficult time forgiving him for this. According to The Economist magazine, President Zelensky's staff felt uneasy because of Zalun's popularity.

The president's team prevented Zaluzhny from going to the front as well, and they quickly informed journalists that the chief of the general staff was not going anywhere, despite the fact that the president's trips there receive a lot of attention from the media. However, Ukrainians are still in favor of Zelensky.

The fact that he is well-known ensures that the war is still remembered, and Mendelova claims that when famous people visit the president's office, it gives the people of the attacked nation "something extra.". Zelenskyj is the president of Ukraine and the USA.

The president's team prevented Zaluzhny from going to the front as well, and they quickly informed journalists that the chief of the general staff was not going anywhere, despite the fact that the president's trips there receive a lot of attention from the media.