President-elect Donald Trump wants to make Hollywood “bigger, better and stronger” and he’s acting Mel Gibson, Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone as the stars of what he calls “private ambassadors to a great but very troubled place, Hollywood, California.”
On Wednesday, the president-elect Announce On his social media site, the three actors will be his eyes and ears for the filmmaking city.
“It will once again be, like the United States of America itself, the Golden Age of Hollywood!” Books on social truth.
The three also appointed special envoys. Ambassadors and special envoys are usually chosen to respond to troubled hot spots like the Middle East, not California.
In a statement provided to CBS News on Thursday, Gibson said he “got the tweet at the same time as all of you and was completely surprised. However, I responded to the call. My duty as a citizen is to offer any assistance and insight.” Is it possible for the position to be accompanied by an ambassadorial residence?”
Gibson’s house in Malibu was destroyed In forest fires That burned down the Los Angeles area.
American film and television production has been obstructed In recent years, with the setbacks caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Hollywood union strikes The year is 2023, and last week, there are ongoing wildfires in the Los Angeles area. Overall U.S. production fell 26% from 2021, according to ProdPro data.
In the greater Los Angeles area, production was down 5.6% from 2023 according to FilmLA, the lowest level since 2020. Last October, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Suggested Expands California’s film and television tax credit program to $750 million annually, up from $330 million. Other American cities such as Atlanta, New York, Chicago, and San Francisco have used tax incentives to attract film and television production to their cities. Actor Mark Wahlberg is even planning to establish a production center in Las Vegas.
It’s unclear what exactly Gibson, Voight and Stallone will do in these efforts to bring production back to the U.S., and representatives for Voight and Stallone did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump’s decision to select actors to be his chosen “ambassadors” highlights his preoccupation with the 1980s and 1990s, when he was a rising New York tabloid star and Gibson and Stallone were among the world’s biggest movie stars.
Stallone is a frequent guest at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club and introduced him at a party held in November, shortly after the election.
“When George Washington defended his country, he had no idea he was going to change the world,” Stallone told the audience. “Because without him, you can only imagine what the world would look like.” “Guess what? We got George Washington II. Congratulations!”
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The decision also reflects Trump’s willingness to overlook his supporters’ more controversial statements.
Gibson’s reputation in Hollywood has changed since 2006, when he made anti-Semitic remarks while being arrested for drunk driving. But he also continued to work in mainstream films and directed Wahlberg’s upcoming film, “Flight Risk.”
Voight is a longtime Trump supporter and has called Trump the greatest president since Abraham Lincoln.