Published : 21 Sep 2026, 08:48 PM
Updated : 21 Sep 2026, 08:49 PM
Sylvester Stallone has revealed he was caught off guard when Donald Trump named him a special ambassador to Hollywood, saying he never agreed to the role and privately told the president it would not work.
Trump announced in January 2025 that Stallone, Mel Gibson and Jon Voight would serve as special envoys to Hollywood, tasked with reviving an industry he claimed had lost business to foreign countries, reports Variety.
Stallone said he found out about the appointment while watching television.
"I was watching TV one night and they go, 'So Stallone and Mel Gibson and Jon Voight will be…' And I went, 'What?'" the Rocky star told The Sunday Times.
He added that had he been consulted beforehand, he would have declined.
Stallone said he was hesitant about the role because Hollywood operates like a collection of powerful fiefdoms resistant to outside influence.
"You don't go in and tell six studios how to do things," he said, adding that he, Gibson and Voight were all people who preferred to work independently.
He said he told Trump directly that the arrangement would not work, describing Hollywood as a corporate world unlikely to take direction from actors, according to Variety.
"I said thank you and ciao, because it's impossible," Stallone said.
Despite his reservations, Stallone spoke warmly of Trump, describing him as a "mythical character" and saying he was in awe of what the president had achieved politically.
