President-elect Donald Trump has announced the appointment of actors Mel Gibson, Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone as ambassadors to help make Hollywood “bigger, better and stronger”.
Mr Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social the actors, all supporters of the president-elect, had been appointed as his “special envoys” to the world-famous filmmaking hub, which he described as a “great but very troubled place”.
The 78-year-old Republican, who will take over from President Joe Biden after he is sworn in on Monday, said it was “my honour” to announce the appointments of “these three very talented people”.
He said: “They will serve as Special Envoys to me for the purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK-BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!”
Mel Gibson at a special screening of the film Monster Summer in Los Angeles in September. Pic: Reuters
Mr Trump said the actors “will be my eyes and ears, and I will get done what they suggest”.
He continued: “It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!”
Jon Voight attends a premiere for the film Reagan in Los Angeles in August. Pic: Reuters
Gibson said in a statement he got the news “at the same time as all of you and was just as surprised” but “nevertheless, I heed the call”.
“My duty as a citizen is to give any help and insight I can,” he added.
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Gibson – who lost his home in one of the multiple blazes making up the deadly wildfires which have been ripping through Los Angeles for more than a week – jokingly added: “Any chance the position comes with an Ambassador’s residence?”
Representatives for Voight and Stallone did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
US film and television production has been hampered in recent years, with setbacks from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hollywood guild strikes of 2023 and, in the past week, the LA wildfires.
Overall production in the US was down 26% from 2021, according to data from ProdPro.
In the greater Los Angeles area, productions were down 5.6% from 2023 according to FilmLA, the lowest since 2020.
