In an interview with Hollywood Authentic magazine, actor/activist Sean Penn, who was in Ukraine filming a documentary when the Russians invaded, revealed he is now considering returning to fight the invaders.
“Look, my intention is to go back into Ukraine. But I’m not an idiot, I am not certain what I can offer,” he said. “If you’ve been in Ukraine [fighting] has to cross your mind. And you kind of think what century is this? Because I was at the gas station in Brentwood the other day and I’m now thinking about taking up arms against Russia? What the fuck is going on?
“If you have seen war, and I’ve seen a little bit of it, there’s a rite of passage while you are in or near it that has to do with some basic questions you ask yourself: how would I react? Could I keep enough oxygen in my brain to make clear judgements? Are you going to be damaged by being in a war, emotionally or psychologically?” he said.
If Penn does decide to answer those questions for himself, he’ll very quickly find out that fighting a war is not merely a role he can inhabit and safely cast off when the day’s “shooting” is done.