Sylvester Stallone says he rejected Trump's Hollywood role before being named ambassador anyway
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Actor Sylvester Stallone has offered a new account of his association with President Donald Trump's Hollywood initiative, saying the appointment became public despite his reservations about taking the position.
The actor said he had previously discussed the proposed role with Trump and made clear that he did not see a practical way for it to work.
Stallone’s latest comments, published by The Sunday Times on September 20, revisit an appointment Trump announced publicly in January 2025.
Trump announced Sylvester Stallone anyway
Stallone’s latest account suggests that the title attached to his name was not the result of a straightforward acceptance.
The actor says he had already voiced his objections to Trump before the administration publicly presented him as part of the Hollywood team.
He explained that his concerns centered on whether the arrangement could actually function inside an industry dominated by separate studios and corporate interests.
The actor then described discovering that he had been included anyway.
He said a television report mentioned Stallone, Mel Gibson, and Jon Voight in connection with the new assignment.
Stallone recalled his immediate response: “What?”
He said the announcement caught him off guard because, had the proposal been put to him directly at the beginning, he would have declined.
Trump had announced the trio as "special ambassadors" to Hollywood in January 2025, saying they would serve as his "eyes and ears" while helping bring production back to the US.
The administration did not initially provide a detailed description of their responsibilities.
Sylvester Stallone explains his reservations
Stallone said his hesitation came from the way Hollywood is structured, with individual studios operating as separate power centers.
He questioned whether actors could realistically enter that system and influence how those companies run their businesses.
He also recalled telling Trump directly that he could not see himself taking on the assignment.
“I said thank you and ciao, because it’s impossible,” Stallone said.
The actor maintained that Hollywood would ultimately chart its own course, while studio executives were unlikely to welcome an actor stepping in with advice about the industry's financial decisions.
The actor has praised Trump
Stallone’s comments also come against the backdrop of his previous public praise for Trump.
During a 2024 event at Mar-a-Lago following Trump’s election victory, Stallone took the stage to introduce him and called him a “really mythical character.”
The actor said he was “in awe” of Trump’s political comeback and likened the moment to the rise of George Washington.
The relationship continued after Trump returned to the White House.
In December 2025, Trump presented Stallone with a Kennedy Center Honor, referring to him as a friend and praising him as “one of the true great movie stars.”
