In a bid to boost flagging U.S. productions in the film and television industries, President Donald Trump anointed big-name Hollywood actors Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone and Jon Voight as “special ambassadors” to Hollywood. However, many industry players are now wondering when the trio will get to work.
Earlier this year, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that the actors would serve as his “eyes and ears, and I will get done what they suggest.”
“It is my honor to announce Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone, to be Special Ambassadors to a great but very troubled place, Hollywood, California,” Trump initially announced on his social media platform last January, days before his second inauguration, Jan. 20. “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! These three very talented people will be my eyes and ears, and I will get done what they suggest. It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!”
In a statement, Gibson responded, “I got the tweet at the same time as all of you and was just as surprised. Nevertheless, I heed the call. My duty as a citizen is to give any help and insight I can.”
While Voight is yet to respond publicly to the appointment, his business partner, film producer Steven Paul, issued a press release in which he claimed Voight picked him as a “special advisor.” According to Paul’s statement:
“We will be working within the industry to find ways to bring runaway productions back to America while working with the government to explore a potential federal tax incentive tied to a pro-American cultural standard, among other initiatives that support independent American productions.”
Trump’s administration has gone all-in on protecting U.S. manufacturing and businesses by implementing global tariffs. However, when it comes to those Hollywood “ambassadors,” several months on from their appointments, we’re still in the dark about how they will be utilized, with no word on what they’re doing, what their goals are, or how they plan to help the struggling entertainment industry.
Pamala Buzick Kim is a co-founder of Stay in LA, a grassroots campaign aimed at revitalizing Los Angeles’ struggling film and TV industries by advocating for emergency measures including uncapped tax incentives and increased local production pledges. Speaking to the LA Times, she told the outlet, “We have reached out to all three [actors] and never heard back,” adding that many are wondering if the actors are “going to, actually understand what the needs and issues, are and fight for the industry as a whole.”
Rep. Laura Friedman, a former film producer turned member for California’s 30th congressional district (covering neighborhoods including Hollywood, West Hollywood and Burbank), also told the LA Times:
I haven’t heard of anyone having any outreach from anyone from that group. … It doesn’t seem like a serious effort to me.”
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, industry strikes and the LA wildfires, the local film industry has continued to struggle, with California facing an exodus of productions to locations including Georgia, New Mexico, Australia and Canada. According to nonprofit FilmLA, which lists filming days in Greater Los Angeles, in the first quarter of 2025, local productions dropped more than 22 percent compared to the same period in 2024. Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed expanding California’s Film & Television Tax Credit Program from $330 million to $750 million annually to boost Hollywood production and local jobs. As of April 2025, the proposal is still under legislative consideration and has not yet been enacted.
Academy Award-winning actor Ben Affleck recently told the Associated Press, “I think part of the problem with California is they came to take the this industry for granted a little bit.”
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