At Hollywood Critics Association Awards, stars praise Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

LOS ANGELES: Just one night after the Screen Actors Guild Awards, some of the big names of this year's awards circuit were back on the red carpet -- this time for the Hollywood Critics Association Awards held Monday (28 February) in Beverly Hills, California.

And while they seized the opportunity to discuss their nominated films, all who were asked about the war in Ukraine -- and, specifically, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy -- has words of praise and support.

Zelenskyy, noted "Pig" actor Nicolas Cage, "is a very brave, brave man, and I'm proud that he was also an actor. So, that says something that's very cool. He played the part and then he got nominated and elected."

The Ukraine president's acting background wasn't lost on "Belfast" director Kenneth Branagh either.

"A creative imagination, I think, involves having a sensitivity to it, to the detail of, you know, the human condition," Branagh explained.

"You try and look and see, put yourself in the other person's shoes. I think that anybody in a situation like that right now has to have the support of the rest of the world. Our film is a story of how violence does not ever end up in anything other than innocent people suffering unnecessarily.

"Communication has always to be the first port of call, and if he and others like him are trying to establish that, than that is what you know the world should be trying to encourage and what their foes should be trying to listen to."

"Dune" director Denis Villeneuve and "Encanto" composer-performer Lin-Manuel Miranda, and "Belfast" actor Jamie Dornan also made statements of support for Ukraine.

"You know, we're all on their side," Dornan said. "You know, any sane, rational person is on their side and it's unthinkable what's going on there. And you know, what's the first thing we all do every morning?

"We wake up to check the news, see what's happened, we see what we can do to help in whatever way. And there's lots of places, thankfully, that we can provide aid and give money to try to help these people.

"We've got to keep our doors open and let the people in here fleeing, because we're not very good at that in the world, and some places are better than others. But this is a time for open doors, open hearts, and that's just awful."