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Actor Stiller with President Selenskyj
Photo: UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE HANDOUT/EPA
American actor Ben Stiller met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
As a "goodwill" ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Stiller expressed his respect for the president.
The visit took place on Monday, but has only now been made public.
“You gave up a great acting career for this.
What you have done for your country and what you have done for the world is truly inspiring," Stiller said in a BBC video showing the encounter.
»You are my hero.« Before his political career, Selenskyj was also an actor and played in various series and films.
"Really shocking"
The visit to the war zone apparently left a lasting impression on the 56-year-old Stiller.
"It's my first time in a conflict zone," the actor told the BBC.
He had seen "shattering" things.
In the west of the country, apart from the curfew at night, you hardly notice the war, says the actor.
"But the closer you get to Kyiv, the more you see the roadblocks and the destruction." This is "really shocking."
Stiller recalled that the war hit the people of Ukraine suddenly.
"No one wants to flee their home," says the actor.
Stiller celebrated international success with films such as »Crazy About Mary« or »Night at the Museum«.
He has been a »Goodwill« ambassador for the UN refugee agency since 2016.
fek