While President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is currently standing between Vladimir Putin and his absolute control over Ukraine, an interesting fact has emerged of his involvement with a bear that is bound to give Zelensky's supporters a cute and affable rallying point.
In case you weren't previously aware, President Zelensky was an actor and comedian before he became a resident of Mariinskyi Palace.
Among President Zelensky's many non-political achievements is also his win in Ukraine’s version of Dancing With the Stars in 2006.
so apparently Zelenskyy won the Ukrainian version of Dancing with the Stars in 2006 and the tape is even better than whatever you're imagining
And this past weekend, Twitter user @michaelidov brought forth a delicious nugget when he claimed that the embattled Ukrainian leader was the voice of Paddington bear in the film's Ukrainian version:
@franklinleonard He’s also, wait for it, the Ukrainian voice of Paddington
The tweet made its way to Franklin Leonard — The Black List founder — who retweeted it demanding confirmation, thus launching a wave of enquiry from curious users and lovers of the hit 2014 animated film.
I need confirmation on the fact that Volodymyr Zelensky is the Ukrainian voice of Paddington. I repeat: Need confirmation that Volodymyr Zelensky is the Ukrainian voice of Paddington. https://t.co/bEhCaS99BQ
The buzz created was so loud that it reached the ears of Hugh Bonneville, who played Henry Brown, the foster father of the titular character of the movie Paddington, and StudioCanal, the producer of the movie.
Minutes later, Leonard tweeted, claiming that it has been confirmed that Zelensky was the man behind the Peruvian bear's voice.
Confirmed. Volodymyr Zelensky is the Ukrainian voice of Paddington Bear. https://t.co/HuXsoSQe7e
Leonard's confirmatory tweet was probably made based on a reply that had tweeted the cover of the DVD of Ukrainian version of the film, which clearly mentioned Zelensky in the voice credits.
Soon after, Hugh Bonneville also tweeted the confirmation along with a clip that showed Zelensky speaking Paddington's lines for the Ukrainian Paddington.
Until today I had no idea who provided the voice of @paddingtonbear in Ukraine. Speaking for myself, thank you, President Zelenskiy. #PaddingtonBear https://t.co/5VaMi201Fs
The Hollywood Reporter also reported that StudioCanal, Paddington, and Paddington 2's producer, have also confirmed to them that Zelensky is indeed the Peruvian bear's voice in Ukrainian.
For further proof, you can watch his interview about the role below:
