Hollywood actor Sylvester Stallone has revealed that he never formally accepted the “special ambassador” role to Hollywood that US President Donald Trump announced for him in 2025, saying he considered the assignment impossible to carry out.
Stallone, 80, made the revelation in a recent interview with The Sunday Times, nearly two years after Trump publicly named him alongside fellow actors Mel Gibson and Jon Voight as special ambassadors to Hollywood.
According to Stallone, he was surprised to discover that he had been appointed when he saw the announcement on television.
“Well, it just happened,” Stallone said, recalling how he watched the news and heard that he, Gibson and Voight would serve as Trump’s representatives in Hollywood.
“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,” he added.
Trump announced the trio in January 2025, describing them as “Special Ambassadors” to what he called a “great but very troubled” Hollywood. He said their task would be to help bring film production and business back to the United States after years of productions moving overseas.
Trump also said the three actors would serve as his “eyes and ears” and provide suggestions on how to strengthen the American film industry.
However, Stallone said he had serious reservations about whether the arrangement could work.
He explained that Hollywood is controlled by several powerful studios and corporate interests, making it difficult for individuals to simply enter the industry and direct how businesses should operate.
“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,” Stallone said.
He also pointed to the independent personalities of himself, Gibson and Voight as another reason he believed the arrangement would be difficult.
When asked whether he had expressed his concerns directly to Trump, Stallone confirmed that he had.
“I said thank you and ciao, because it’s impossible,” he recalled.
Stallone further argued that Hollywood would continue to evolve as a corporate industry and suggested that studio executives would not necessarily welcome an outside figure attempting to advise them on financial matters.
Despite rejecting the ambassadorial assignment, Stallone’s comments indicate that his decision was focused on the practicality of the role rather than a complete break with Trump.
He has previously spoken positively about the president and appeared at events associated with Trump.
Meanwhile, Voight has remained publicly involved in efforts connected to Trump’s Hollywood agenda, while Gibson also expressed surprise when the appointment was first announced.
Stallone’s latest comments therefore clarify an unusual episode in Trump’s efforts to engage Hollywood: although his name was publicly attached to the position, the Rocky star says he never regarded the assignment as something he could realistically undertake.
