You’ve almost certainly seen Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the news in recent days taking a stand against Russia’s military invasion. With the president’s increased visibility, people are paying more attention to his previous career as an actor and comedian. Now, we know that along with his growing political popularity, he also provided the Ukrainian voice for one of the best-loved characters on cinema: Paddington Bear, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Paddington production company StudioCanal confirmed to THR that President Zelenskyy voiced the bear in the blue duffle coat in both Paddington and Paddington 2. If you don’t believe us, here’s Zelenskyy himself speaking in a promotional video for the second film:
A translation (via AV Club) reads: “Hello to my darling friends. I, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, will lend my voice to the wonderful, charismatic, friendly bear Paddington. Paddington [is a film] you can go to see with your whole family, and everyone will enjoy it regardless of your age. You know you will definitely walk out of the film in a fantastic mood.”
Zelenskyy’s career is not limited to Paddington by any means, though. Before he was an actor who was elected president of Ukraine, he was an actor who played the president of Ukraine. In the series Servant of the People, he played a teacher who becomes president after a political rant video goes viral. He was elected the same month the series finale aired. In 2006, the comedian won Ukraine’s version of Dancing with the Stars, as well.
Zelenskyy was active in comedy, film, and television in Ukraine from 1997 up until his election in 2019. In that time he starred in a variety of feature films like Love in the Big City, Office Romance, 8 First Dates in addition to the above productions.
