(NewsNation) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a former actor, knows star power goes a long way in drawing attention to the war in his country. And many entertainers are only too happy to help achieve that goal.
Take actress Angelina Jolie, who recently visited western Ukraine as a United Nations special envoy for refugees. There were moments of levity as Jolie visited with refugees and volunteers, but the levity ended when air raid sirens started wailing.
As a special envoy for the UN, it’s not unusual to see Jolie in dangerous places; just last month, she was in war-torn Yemen. But she’s hardly the only star to stand up for Ukraine.
In the early days of the war, Ukraine-born dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy found himself trapped. Chmerkovskiy says when he tried to cross the border to safety, he was arrested.
And filmmaker Sean Penn was in Ukraine filming a documentary when the invasion began.
Both tried to help Ukraine by drawing attention to the horrors of the war.
And while those three appear to be the only stars who’ve actually stepped foot on Ukrainian soil during the war, plenty have pledged their help from afar.
The list includes actors Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher, model Gigi Hadid, entrepreneur Bethenny Frankel, actor Leonardo Dicaprio, singer The Weeknd, actors Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, soccer star David Beckham and his wife, former Spice Girl Victoria, author JK Rowling and Prince Harry and Meghan Markhamto. They’ve raised millions of dollars to support the Ukrainians.
And just three days ago, English actor Benedict Cumberbatch announced he would house a Ukrainian family who fled the war. The family is currently undergoing medical treatments before going to the U.K.
Cumberbatch has been financially assisting other Ukrainian nationals who are U.K. citizens trying to house their extended families. Cumberbatch says he hopes by offering his home, it will provide stability after experiencing so much turmoil.