(NEXSTAR) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has become a well-known figure around the world since Russia’s invasion of his country. But before Zelenskyy was serving his country, he was serving as the Ukrainian President in a comedy series, “Servant of the People.”
In 2015, Zelenskyy, then an actor and comedian, played Vasiliy Petrovich Goloborodko, a high school teacher propelled to the presidency after a student’s video of him denouncing official corruption in Ukraine goes viral. Goloborodko sets about running the country while eschewing the perks of being the leader by keeping hold of his normal life.
“Servant of the People,” made by Zelenskyy’s Studio Kvartel 95, ran for three seasons and had a spin-off movie. Eccho Rights, which has distributed the series, has seen an increased demand for the show in recent weeks.
Netflix is now giving its viewers the opportunity to watch “Servant of the People,” posting to Twitter on Wednesday, “You asked and it’s back!” According to The Hill, Netflix carried the series until last February when the license ended.
“Servant of the People” won the best feature series award at the Teletriumph Awards in Ukraine and also the Gold Remi Award for Television Comedy at the 2016 WorldFest in Houston.
Zelenskyy also voiced Paddington the bear in Ukrainian for both “Paddington” and its sequel, “Paddington 2,” producers confirmed late last month. He even appeared in and won a Ukrainian “Dancing With the Stars,” according to Bloomberg.
Zelenskyy ran for president of Ukraine under a political party sharing the same name as his show, BBC reports. He won the presidency in 2019 in a landside, pulling in 73% of the vote while incumbent Petro Poroshenko drew 24%.
On Wednesday, Zelenskyy spoke before Congress, calling for aid amid Russia’s continued assault on Ukraine.
“This is a terror that Europe has not seen for 80 years and we are asking for a reply, for an answer to this terror from the whole world,” Zelenskyy said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
