Sean Penn considered 'taking up arms against Russia'

Director-actor Sean Penn considered joining Ukraine's resistance against Russia.

"I was at the gas station in Brentwood the other day and I'm now thinking about taking up arms against Russia? What the f*** is going on?" he told the inaugural edition of new quarterly magazine Hollywood Authentic, reports 'Variety'.

Penn, who was in Ukraine filming a documentary about the country when Russia invaded, said he originally met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Zoom two years ago, "early on in the pandemic".

"We first started discussing a potential documentary about his country that wasn't focused particularly on the war," Penn said.

"And since then there's been a lot of exchanges between us. Then I went and met him face to face the day before the invasion. And I was with him during the invasion, on day one."

Penn even contemplated fighting himself.

"The only possible reason for me staying in Ukraine longer last time would've been for me to be holding a rifle, probably without body armour, because as a foreigner, you would want to give that body armour to one of the civilian fighters who doesn't have it or to a fighter with more skills than I have, or to a younger man or woman who could fight for longer or whatever.