Mel Gibson is “surprised” President-elect Donald Trump named him a “special ambassador” to Hollywood.
The “Braveheart” star told entertainment outlet Variety on Thursday that he was ready to serve under Trump despite the shocker.
“I got the tweet at the same time as all of you and was just as surprised,” Gibson said in the statement published in Variety. “Nevertheless, I heed the call. My duty as a citizen is to give any help and insight I can.”
Trump took to conservative social platform Truth Social to name Gibson a “special ambassador” to Hollywood alongside fellow conservative actors Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone.
USA TODAY reached out to reps for Gibson, Voight and Stallone for comment.
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Donald Trump taps Sylvester Stallone,Mel Gibson and Jon Voight to be Hollywood ‘ambassadors’
“It is my honor to announce Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone, to be Special Ambassadors to a great but very troubled place, Hollywood, California,” Trump wrote Thursday. “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!”
He continued: “These three very talented people will be my eyes and ears, and I will get done what they suggest. It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!”
The U.S. film and television industries have faced some major hurdles in recent years between the COVID-19 pandemic, long-running strikes and economic troubles. It wasn’t immediately clear what the actors’ responsibilities would be in this role or how much authority they would have.
Gibson implied in a video posted by TMZ in October that he had cast his vote for Trump in 2024, saying it was a “pretty good guess” when asked if he backed the GOP nominee.
“I know what it will be like if we let her in … and that ain’t good,” Gibson added, referring to Trump’s opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Contributing: Savannah Kuchar
