Actor Sean Penn has tearfully detailed his touching relationship with the late Ukrainian pilot who led the legendary “Ghost of Kiev” unit, while criticizing the “cowardice” of the United States for not doing more in Ukraine’s war with Russia.
Penn, whose documentary about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, “Superpower,” premiered in September, reminded Piers Morgan in an interview airing Wednesday that Ukrainian fighter ace Andriy Pilshchykov is a “very poetic creature, not what would be expected from a superior weapon.
“He was a great leader, and I know many in his squad, and he was really as much as any individual, who they talked about when they came up with [the] “One, the ‘Ghost of kyiv,'” Penn told Morgan in the chat, held this week and scheduled to air on Fox Nation.
In Penn’s documentary, the actor, 63, and Pilshchykov, 30, went together to see Tom Cruise’s fighter pilot movie “Top Gun: Maverick” during a visit to Washington, DC.
“I was sitting next to him, and he leaned over at one point after Tom Cruise had ejected and found his way in his dusty flight suit to the restaurant, and [Pilshchykov] He leaned over and said, ‘That’s why I always carry my wallet,’” Penn recalled.
Sean Penn recalled his relationship with Ukrainian “Ghost of Kyiv” fighter pilot Andriy Pilshchykov during an interview with Piers Morgan that will air on Fox Nation on Wednesday. Talk TV
Pilshchykov, also known by his call sign “Juice,” was instrumental in air defense of Ukraine during the early days of the Russian invasion. He became one of the faces of an elite unit of the Ukrainian air force and was a pilot around whom the story of the “Ghost of Kiev” developed, a story that spread throughout the world about an unstoppable ace. Ukrainian who shot down countless Russian planes over the nation’s capital. created.
Penn and Pilshchykov became close during the filming of the Hollywood star’s documentary, and the pair eventually traveled to DC together to pressure the US government to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
“I’d like to say we became friends,” Penn said, adding that Pilshchykov was “the furthest thing from a military man you could imagine, besides having a beautiful spirit and great humor.
“We stayed in touch after spending time in Washington,” the actor said. “It would be on an encrypted line that he agreed with and I could say, ‘Hey, what’s going on?’ He said, ‘About to put the wheels up,’ because they were constantly in the fight.”
Andriy Pilshchykov was one of the fighter pilots around whom the myth of the “ghost of kyiv” was created. He died in August. Penn’s documentary began as a profile of actor-turned-Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelensky, but pivoted after war broke out midway through filming.
Pilshchykov died during a training accident in August, just as F-16s were finally available for Ukrainian use.
Penn agreed that learning of his hero friend’s death was a “sad moment,” while criticizing the United States for not putting the full power of its resources at Ukraine’s disposal.
“I think there comes a point where caution turns into cowardice,” he said. “It is very disappointing and heartbreaking to me that we have been given this opportunity and so far we have let it down more than we have supported it.”
Penn’s interview airs Wednesday on “Piers Morgan Uncensored” on Fox Nation. His documentary, available on Paramount+, began as a profile of actor-turned-Ukrainian president Zelenskyy when Russia invaded Ukraine midway through filming.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn