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Actor Sylvester Stallone was named a "special ambassador" to Hollywood by President Trump nearly two years ago, a symbolic title meant to represent the film industry.
Now, the "Rocky" star says he never actually agreed to take on the role.
Trump handed out the "special envoy" designation last year. He tapped Stallone alongside fellow actors Jon Voight and Mel Gibson to help revive Hollywood's fortunes after years of productions moving overseas.
At the time, Trump said the trio would act as his "eyes and ears" in the industry, vowing to follow through on whatever they recommended.
According to a recent interview, Stallone says he first learned about his special envoy appointment by watching it on TV.
"Well, it just happened,” the Oscar nominee noted in a recent interview with The Sunday Times. "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."
The star continued to open up about his reservations surrounding the appointment, and if he was hesitant,
"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."
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He even recalled telling Trump that "it won’t work." "I said thank you and ciao, because it’s impossible. Hollywood works, and it will evolve. It’s corporate and corporate people won’t want to hear me tell them about finance."
In a January 2025, Trump introduced Stallone, Gibson and Voight as special ambassadors, charged with reviving Hollywood after years of productions relocating overseas.
He described the trio as his direct line into the industry, pledging to act on their recommendations, and cast the effort as ushering in a new "Golden Age" for Hollywood.
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