Ben Stiller concluded his visit to Ukraine on Monday with a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The actor said according to Deadline inter alia to the president: “You are my hero.”
Stiller also joked about Zelensky’s earlier career, who was an actor and comedian before entering politics. “You gave up a great acting career for this,” Stiller said, to which the president replied, “Not as pretty as yours.”
The actor, known for films such as Night at the Museum and Meet the Parents, has been ambassador of the UN refugee agency UNHCR since 2018. He visited Ukraine in the context of World Refugee Day.
Before his meeting with the president, he visited the ruined Irpin and spoke with Ukrainians who have had to leave home and hearth. “It’s one thing to see the devastation on TV or social media, it’s quite another to see it with your own eyes,” the 56-year-old told the president. “That’s a lot more shocking.”