Oscar organisers had not committed to a video appearance by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky. Photo / AP
He has spoken with two movie stars by video call from the bombarded and encircled city of Kyiv.
His aides lobbied the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for an Oscar night show of support. He re-released his own television show on Netflix in the middle of the war.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the actor turned wartime leader of Ukraine, has dedicated most of his public appearances to appeals to Western nations for lethal weaponry to fight the Russians: tanks, jets and missiles.
But Zelenskyy, who before he became president had starred in romantic comedies and performed stand-up routines, has also pressed for celebrities and artists to speak up for his country, in what aides say is a worthwhile effort to solidify Ukraine's global soft power advantage over Russia.
"We live in the modern world, and we know that opinion-makers and celebrities are important," said Ekaterine Zguladze, a former deputy minister of interior now involved in the Ukrainian government's effort to win support from artists, musicians and celebrities. "Not only politicians shape the world."
Zguladze added: "Right now, there exists genuine solidarity around the world for Ukraine. And this solidarity is not because of the heartbreaking images of destroyed cities and human tragedy, but because of the values we all share."
But Ukraine's appeal to the academy, the organisation that awards the Oscars, has encountered drama of its own.
Before the show, organisers said the war would be noted and the human toll honoured, but had not committed to a video appearance by Zelenskyy, said Brian Keith Etheridge, a sitcom writer based in Los Angeles. He helped coordinate the Ukrainian government's outreach to the academy, with help from Mila Kunis, an actress of Ukrainian origin, and her husband, Ashton Kutcher.
"The concern that we were told is, they don't want to overly politicise the show," Etheridge said. "If Zelenskyy just says 'thank you' it will remind people, and it could raise millions of dollars. It's such a giant platform just to have his face show up."
Sean Penn, who had been filming a documentary in Ukraine when the war broke out, has called for a boycott of the Oscars if Zelenskyy is not permitted to appear by video and vowed to smelt his own awards if the academy snubs the Ukrainian leader. The award statues are made of gold-plated bronze.
If the Oscar producers do not allow an appearance for "the leadership in Ukraine, who are taking bullets and bombs for us, along with the Ukrainian children that they are trying to protect, then I think every single one of those people, and every bit of that decision, will have been the most obscene moment in all of Hollywood history," Penn told CNN in an interview.
Speaking at a news conference Thursday, the producers said they intended to commemorate the war's toll but did not commit to a video appearance by Zelenskyy.
"We're going to be very thoughtful about how we acknowledge where we are in the world," said Will Packer, a producer of the Oscar ceremony.
Of a possible appearance by Zelenskyy, he said: "The show is in the process, so that's not something that we would definitively say one way or another at this point. As I've mentioned before, we want to be fun and celebratory, but we certainly are going to do that in a respectful way."
Comedic actress Wanda Sykes, one of the ceremony's co-hosts, noted of Zelenskyy, "Isn't he busy right now?"
While Zelenskyy's aides have pressed for support during the show in whatever form it takes, seeking any avenue to win public backing in the West, the value of celebrity support in a shooting war is not universally acknowledged in Ukraine.
"Ultimately, it's important what is happening on the ground," Oleksandr Danylyuk, a former secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, said. "Everybody is doing what they can. I don't know if one more speech of Zelenskyy will make a difference. But it's good those who initiate it want to do it. Everybody wants to help in any way possible."
But Danylyuk said that "in the end, you need results," like supplies of fighter jets, tanks or missiles for the Ukrainian army.
Zelenskyy has pressed on all fronts to convey to a broad audience, and particularly to countries that are providing weaponry, the moral imperative of supporting Ukraine in the war.
"In general, Zelenskyy is really following the news from Hollywood and looking for opportunities for support," said Serhiy Leshchenko, an adviser to the president's chief of staff.
The push for backing for Ukraine during the Oscars began a week ago, after Zelenskyy spoke on a video call from Kyiv with Kutcher and Kunis, to thank the couple for raising US$35 million for Ukrainian refugees and humanitarian aid in a GoFundMe campaign, Leshchenko said.
Kunis most recently starred in Breaking News in Yuba County and has a planned movie release by Netflix, Luckiest Girl Alive.
"Ukrainians are proud and brave people who deserve our help in their time of need," she wrote in the fundraising appeal. "This unjust attack on Ukraine and humanity at large is devastating and the Ukrainian people need our support."
After the video call, Zelenskyy's aides sought a last-minute slot at the Oscar ceremony.
Zelenskyy has always had a keen sense of image and storytelling in politics. Earlier this month, he said he was aware that his repeated televised appeals for resistance, and continued presence in the beleaguered capital, had turned him into a symbol of bravery in many countries.
The Oscars are also a natural fit for an appeal by his government for humanitarian assistance, as many of his top aides are also movie industry veterans.
The chief of the presidential administration, Andriy Yermak, was a media lawyer and movie producer. The head of the domestic intelligence agency, Ivan Bakanov, had been the director of the Kvartal 95 studio. A chief presidential adviser, Serhiy Shefir, was a screenwriter and producer whose major credits included a hit romantic comedy film, "Eight First Dates," and a television series, "The In-laws."
Before becoming president of Ukraine, Zelenskyy played a president in his own television series, "Servant of the People," which was re-released on Netflix this month. The character, a teacher, is propelled to the presidency after he goes on a tirade against corruption, which is filmed by his students in a video that goes viral.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Written by: Andrew E. Kramer
© 2022 THE NEW YORK TIMES
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