Oscar-winning actress Jessica Chastain fought to hold back tears as she recounted her August trip to war-torn Ukraine on US late-night television.
The Eyes of Tammy Faye actress told Jimmy Kimmel Live on Thursday about her meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, her visit to a children’s hospital and a lunch that she will not soon forget.
After talking to Ukrainian colleagues to see how she could best help, Chastain was asked if she would consider going there — and she said yes.
To reach the capital Kyiv, she flew into Warsaw in Poland and then had to take a 12-hour train ride before reaching Mr Zelenskyy at a secure location.
She also visited a family and a children’s hospital, both of which she spoke about with Kimmel.
"They made a beautiful lunch for me and at one point I said, 'Is that a bullet hole in the mirror?' Chastain said.
"And then I looked at the ceiling and there were bullet holes, and then I looked in the chair I was sitting [and it] had bullet holes, and there were little kids … like a 6-year-old and a 4-year-old, and I just don't understand what is happening to the world."
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US Actress and UN Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie comforts a young victim of the Kramatorsk railway station missile strike in Lviv children's hospital, in Western Ukraine on April 30, 2022. EPA -
This handout picture taken on August 7, 2022 shows the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, posing with US actress Jessica Chastain before a meeting in Kyiv. AFP PHOTO / Ukrainian Presidential press-service -
Jolie interacts with a child at the main railway station during her visit to Lviv. Reuters -
Zelenskyy, right, and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Ben Stiller shake hands during their meeting in Kyiv on June 20, 2022. Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP -
Stiller walks past a damaged building as he visits the Lypki neighbourhood in Irpin, Ukraine. Reuters -
US President Joe Biden, right, stands with Spanish chef Jose Andres, founder of nonprofit organisation World Food Kitchen (WCK), after meeting refugees of Russia's war with Ukraine at PGE Narodowy Stadium in Warsaw, Poland on March 26, 2022. AFP -
Jose Andres is seen on a screen giving a pre-recorded acceptance speech for receiving The Sophia Award for Excellence 2022 from Ukraine, while he works there to feed those affected by the war on March 31, 2022. EPA -
US actor and director Liev Schreiber prepares meals in the kitchen of the World Central Kitchen, for war refugees from Ukraine staying in Przemysl, Poland on April 15, 2022. EPA -
Sean Penn attends a press briefing at the Presidential Office in Kyiv, Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Reuters -
Zelenskyy, centre, talking with Sean Penn, right, next to President's office head Andriy Yermak during their meeting in Kyiv on June 28, 2022. AFP PHOTO / Ukraine's presidential press-service
Chastain said she felt a responsibility to use her celebrity to shine a spotlight on those who needed it.
“I understood how sad it would be … when I was meeting the kids at the hospital, I felt, just my heart was going out to them, because there was a girl with her mom and she needed new legs, right?
"So that was really devastating."
Chastain also visited Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital, Ukraine's national news agency reported.
The actress joined the growing list of A-listers who have visited Ukraine in a show of support for the country after Russia's invasion.
Mr Zelenskyy has met actors Sean Penn, Ben Stiller and Leiv Schreiber, and actress Angelina Jolie visited Lviv to meet people displaced by the war.
Dr Jill Biden, wife of US President Joe Biden, made a surprise visit to western Ukraine on Mother's Day in May this year.
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Former Ukraine footballer Andriy Shevchenko and American actor Liev Schreiber stand surrounded by destroyed buildings in Borodianka, near Kyiv. AP -
Andriy Shevchenko exchanges fist bumps with Liev Schreiber. AP -
The pair survey residential buildings which have been destroyed by Russia bombardment. AP -
Schreiber and Shevchenko are both ambassadors of the UNITED24 fundraising platform. AFP -
Schreiber visits the town of Borodianka. Reuters -
Schreiber has Ukrainian heritage. Reuters -
Shevchenko and Schreiber are just a few of the celebrities to visit the war-torn country. Reuters -
This is Schreiber's second visit to Ukraine. AFP -
Schreiber poses for a selfie with a fan. AFP
