Ben Stiller tells of 'harrowing stories' from Ukraine visit

Hollywood's Ben Stiller meets Zelensky in Kyiv

Ben Stiller told Volodymyr Zelensky: 'You're my hero' during a visit to Kyiv

US actor and comedian Ben Stiller said Tuesday he had been deeply affected by the stories he heard from Ukrainians after a surprise visit to the war-torn country. 

The "Zoolander" and "Meet the Parents" star was in Ukraine as an ambassador for the UN's refugee agency, UNHCR. 

The 56-year-old actor-director visited Irpin, a suburb of Kyiv, which was particularly hard-hit in the early stages of the Russian invasion. 

"There was one very young man who... talked about it like something out of a horror film, just being hit by these missiles, not knowing if he should stay or run. 

Stiller met with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Monday, and told him: "You're my hero."

Asked by AFP if he could imagine trading in his job as a comedian in the event of an invasion, Stiller said he didn't know how he would react. 

"Yesterday, I was in a house that was almost fully collapsed with a woman, and we were sitting in her kitchen," he said. 

Stiller, who has also visited Lebanon, Jordan and Guatemala as part of his UNHCR work, said he hopes people will hear his stories from refugees and "relate with these people and hopefully see themselves in them".

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Originally published as Ben Stiller tells of 'harrowing stories' from Ukraine visit