Donald Trump named Sylvester Stallone as one of his “special envoys” to Hollywood, but the actor previously said that he was “not qualified” or interested in a position in Washington.
On Thursday, the President-elect announced on Truth Social that Stallone, Mel Gibson, and Jon Voight were his ambassadors to Hollywood.
Trump wrote: “They will serve as Special Envoys to me for the purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK — BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!”
Trump added that they will be his “eyes and ears” and he will “get done what they suggest.” He didn’t elaborate on what these new positions would involve.
In 2019, Stallone told Variety that in 2016 Trump offered him a role as the Head of the National Endowment of the Arts — the organization responsible for handing out government art grants.
Stallone turned it down, and said: “I’m really not qualified nor do I want to be in Washington nor do I want to be involved in anything because I really believe that actors, sometimes, I think are a little too emotionally involved.”
Stallone has not publicly commented on Trump’s announcement and his representatives did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
In a statement to BI, Gibson said via a representative: “I got the tweet at the same time as all of you and was just as surprised. Nevertheless, I heed the call. My duty as a citizen is to give any help and insight I can. Any chance the position comes with an Ambassador’s residence?”
Voight, who has been a staunch Trump supporter since 2016, said in a statement to BI via his representative: “I’m old enough to have touched some years of the Golden Age of Hollywood, and I’ve seen its slow deterioration since. Today, we are in pretty bad shape. Very few films are made here now, but we are fortunate to have an incoming President, who wants to restore Hollywood to its former glory, and with his help, I feel we can get done.
“Now we have been through these horrible fires and our spirits are down, but we are resilient. We will help each other and we will rebuild. Love to everyone across the nation who has come to our aid.”
