The President Of Ukraine Is Also, We Swear This Is True, A Voice Of Paddington

Unlike in the United States, Ukraine’s TV personality-turned-president is a force for good. Volodymyr Zelensky has been inspiring Ukrainians to fight for their country against Russian aggressors led by Vladimir Putin by winning over skeptics, declining an excavation offer (“The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride”), and remaining “dignified, resolute, and articulate” under the toughest of circumstances.

Zelensky’s current approval rating is at 91 percent, three times what it was in December. I’m surprised it’s not higher, considering he’s literally — and I can’t stress this enough — the voice of Paddington Bear, the star of the greatest film of all-time, Paddington 2.

Chatter erupted on social media on Sunday — first sparked by a tweet sent by Black List founder Franklin Leonard — that Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president and the man now seen around the world as the face of brave resistance, had voiced Paddington Bear in Ukrainian version of the hit 2014 animated film. Paddington producer StudioCanal has now confirmed this news… adding that he voiced the bear in Ukrainian in both Paddington and Paddington 2, its smash hit 2017 sequel.

In a promotional video for Paddington 2, Zelensky, who also starred on the popular political satire series Servant of the People, said, “Hello to my darling friends. I, Volodymyr Zelensky, will lend my voice to the wonderful, charismatic, friendly bear Paddington… You know you will definitely walk out of the film in a fantastic mood.”

We need Aunt Lucy’s words to Paddington now more than ever: “If we’re kind and polite, the world will be right.”