US President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named actors Mel Gibson, Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone as "special ambassadors" for Hollywood, saying the film industry has "lost so much" in the past four years.
"I am honored to announce that Jon Voight, Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone will be special ambassadors to this important but very busy place, Hollywood, California," Trump wrote on his social network, Truth Social.
According to the Republican, who returns to the White House on Monday, the three actors will help him to make "Hollywood, which in the last four years has lost a lot of business abroad, bigger, better and stronger than ever."
"These three talented men will be my eyes and ears. I will do whatever they suggest," he added.
Trump lamented all the alleged problems he believes exist in Hollywood and created this position with the aim of improving the situation from a business perspective.
Jon Voight, Angelina Jolie’s father, made headlines in 2020 when actor Frank Whaley accused him of slapping her.
In a film industry that is overwhelmingly pro-Democrat, Voight is known for his longtime support of Trump.
Mel Gibson has been accused of anti-Semitism, racism, homophobia, alcoholism and domestic violence.
Most recently, last October, Gibson attacked Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, accusing her of having the IQ of “a picket fence.”
Finally, Stallone, who calls Trump a “second George Washington,” was accused of sexual assault in the late 1980s, allegations he denied and which have not led to any legal action.
Trump also named the trio special envoys. Ambassadors and special envoys are typically chosen to respond to trouble spots like the Middle East, not California.
U.S. film and television production has been hit hard in recent years, with setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Hollywood union strikes in 2023 and, last week, the ongoing wildfires in the Los Angeles area.
Overall production in the country is down 26% from 2021, according to data from ProdPro, a company that collects data on the entertainment industry.
In the greater Los Angeles area, productions are down 5.6% from 2023, according to FilmLA, the lowest level since 2020.
Last October, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed expanding California’s Film and Television Tax Credit program to $750 million annually, up from $330 million currently.
Other U.S. cities, including Atlanta, New York, Chicago and San Francisco, have used tax incentives to attract film and television productions.
It is not yet clear what exactly Gibson, Voight and Stallone will do in this effort to bring productions back to the United States.
Trump’s decision to select the actors as his “ambassadors” underscores his concerns about the 1980s and 1990s, when he was a rising tabloid star in New York and Gibson and Stallone were among the biggest movie stars in the world.
