Sylvester Stallone has declined the role of special envoy for Hollywood, which former U.S. President Donald Trump announced for him. The actor revealed that he was unaware of being named among a trio of Hollywood “ambassadors” and only learned about it while watching television.
Trump announced his plan in January 2025, naming Stallone alongside actors Mel Gibson and Jon Voight as special envoys for Hollywood. Their task was to advise the president on efforts to strengthen the American film industry and attract more production back to the United States.
Stallone: No one ever asked me beforehand
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Stallone described being caught off guard by the announcement.
One evening while watching TV, he learned from the broadcast that, together with Gibson and Voight, he was chosen as Trump’s special Hollywood envoy. According to Stallone, no one approached him prior to the public announcement.
Stallone explained that if he had been asked in advance, he would have pointed out that he didn’t think such an idea would work.
He compared Hollywood to a collection of independent “kingdoms,” where major studios operate according to their own business rules and interests.
He believes Hollywood can’t be managed from a single place
The actor, known for playing Rocky and Rambo, emphasized the structure of the American film industry.
Major studios, production companies, and corporations make their own decisions, and Stallone said it is unrealistic to expect a small group of actors to determine how these businesses operate or invest.
Stallone therefore thanked Trump but declined to take on an active role in the initiative.
We continue to follow the political and economic steps of the current U.S. administration in our article about Donald Trump’s changes to American policy and planned reforms from the White House.
Trump wanted to bring film production back to the US
When announcing the initiative, Trump claimed that the American film industry had lost some production to foreign countries.
Stallone, Gibson, and Voight were intended to serve as a source of ideas and recommendations that would help support domestic film production.
The reactions among the three actors were not the same.
Mel Gibson said at the time of the announcement that Trump’s decision surprised him as well. In contrast, Jon Voight engaged more actively with the initiative, advocating for support of film and television production in the United States, including tax incentives.
Stallone supported Trump but still declined the offer
Stallone’s decision does not mean a political split with Trump.
In the past, the actor publicly supported the former president and spoke positively about him at a Mar-a-Lago event after the 2024 presidential election.
This time, however, he separated his support for Trump from the practical realities of Hollywood. According to Stallone, the American film industry is too large and corporate-driven to be influenced by just a few special envoys.
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Stallone has thus effectively declined the role. His recent statements also reveal that Trump’s public announcement of the Hollywood envoys in January 2025 was not based on a prearranged agreement with all three actors.
Of the trio, Voight remains the most active proponent of measures for the film industry, while Stallone has made clear he does not intend to participate in managing or steering Hollywood’s economy.
This article was translated from the original Slovak version with the assistance of AI.
