Amid the bleak news of Russia's military operation on Ukraine last week, a more upbeat nugget of information has emerged regarding one of the key figures involved. Recently chatter had erupted on social media, which was first sparked by a tweet sent by Black List founder Franklin Leonard, that Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, the man now seen globally as the face of brave resistance against Russian aggression, had voiced the titular Paddington Bear in Ukrainian version of the hit 2014 animated film.
StudioCanal, the producer of 'Paddington', confirmed this news to The Hollywood Reporter, adding that he voiced the bear in Ukrainian in both 'Paddington' and its smash hit 2017 sequel 'Paddington 2'.
Although the idea of a world leader voicing a marmalade-loving Peruvian bear may seem a wild proposition, given Zelensky's rise to power it's perhaps not so strange.
Prior to becoming president, Zelensky was one of the most popular and successful comedians in Ukraine and the star of several films and TV series. In fact, his political career is a case of life imitating art.
In the hugely-successful political satire series 'Servant of the People', Zelensky plays a schoolteacher who inadvertently becomes Ukraine's president after a video of him ranting against corruption goes viral.
Zelensky's grassroots political party, also called Servant of the People, was launched on the back of the show's success. The beloved entertainer also won Ukraine's version of 'Dancing with the Stars' in 2006.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, the 'Paddington' news was met with delight over the weekend, with Hugh Bonneville, who played the bears' foster parent Henry Brown in the films, tweeting his gratitude.
