Sylvester Stallone has revealed that he was completely unprepared for Donald Trump to appoint him as one of three “special ambassadors” to Hollywood.
Last year, Trump announced on his Truth Social account that the 80-year-old Rocky star, along with actors Jon Voight and Mel Gibson, would be his “eyes and ears” in Hollywood and help bring the film business back to the United States, which the president believes has moved overseas.
However, the specific powers and responsibilities of the three appointees were never clearly defined.
In a new interview with The Times of London, Stallone said he had doubted the feasibility of the idea from the very beginning.
“Yes, because Hollywood is like feudal states. Everybody has their own little kingdom. You can't go into six studios and start telling them how to do things,” the actor said.
According to Stallone, neither he, Mel Gibson nor Jon Voight is accustomed to working within such a system.
“We're all people who are used to doing things our own way. No, it's not going to work,” he said.
Asked whether he had explained his concerns directly to Trump, Stallone said that he had.
“Yes. And I said, ‘Thank you and ciao,’ because it's impossible. Hollywood works, and it will evolve. It's a corporate business, and corporate people aren't going to want to hear me telling them about finance,” he explained.
When asked why he had agreed to the appointment in the first place, Stallone gave an unexpected answer.
“I didn't agree,” the actor said.
According to Stallone, the whole thing happened without his involvement.
“Well, it just happened. One night I was watching TV, and they go, ‘So Stallone, Mel Gibson and Jon Voight will be...’ And I went, ‘What?’ ... Because if they had asked me from the beginning, I would have said, ‘This is impossible,’” the actor recalled.
Stallone has, however, publicly supported Trump in the past.
At a celebratory dinner at Mar-a-Lago in 2024 honoring Trump’s presidential election victory, Stallone introduced him as a “truly mythical figure.”
In December last year, Trump presented Stallone with a Kennedy Center Honors award. The actor received the honor alongside singers Gloria Gaynor and George Strait, rock band KISS and actor Michael Crawford.
Introducing Stallone, Trump called him “my friend,” a “wonderful man” and a “truly great man,” as well as one of the “real great movie stars.”
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