Sylvester Stallone says he told President Donald Trump that his plan to enlist three actors to help revive Hollywood would not work, arguing that studio executives would have little interest in taking business advice from him. The actor said he learned of his appointment alongside Mel Gibson and Jon Voight while watching television, without having agreed to the assignment beforehand.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Stallone, 80, described an industry divided among powerful companies that make their own decisions. Asked whether he had reservations about the role, he answered, “Yes. Yes, because Hollywood, I guess it’s like feudal states.”
“They have their little kingdoms. You don’t go in and tell six studios how to do things. And Mel Gibson and Jon Voight, we’re kind of do-our-own-thing people. No, it won’t work,” he said. Stallone said he delivered that assessment to Trump directly: “I said thank you and ciao, because it’s impossible.”
Trump announced the appointments on Jan. 16, 2025, shortly before his second inauguration, as part of an effort to recover film and television production that had moved overseas, noted Fox News. He designated the actors as special ambassadors who would advise him on the industry’s problems and recommend ways to bring business back to the United States.
Stallone said the announcement caught him off guard. “I was watching TV one night, and they go, ‘So Stallone and Mel Gibson and Jon Voight will be …’ And I went, ‘What?’ I said, ‘Excuse me? Really?’ Because if they had asked me in the beginning, I would have said, ‘This is not possible,’” he said. His objection centered on the limits of an actor’s influence over the companies that control production and financing.
Gibson also said he received no advance notice, although his public response was more receptive. “I got the tweet at the same time as all of you and was just as surprised,” he told Variety in January 2025. “Nevertheless, I heed the call. My duty as a citizen is to give any help and insight I can.” He also asked: “Any chance the position comes with an Ambassador’s residence?”
Voight, meanwhile, has pursued a federal film tax incentive with his manager, Steven Paul, and associate Scott Karol. Their work has included meetings with White House officials as they seek legislation intended to encourage more domestic production.
Stallone’s objections to the envoy arrangement do not necessarily mean he has stayed out of those discussions. Asked by The Hollywood Reporter about Stallone’s and Gibson’s participation, Voight cited their schedules, saying, “They’ve been very busy, both of those guys actually have been extremely busy.” Paul offered a more specific account of Stallone’s involvement: “Sly’s been doing his TV show, but Sly’s been very involved and he signed our letter.”
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