Mel Gibson is “surprised” President-elect Donald Trump named him a “special ambassador” to Hollywood.
The “Braveheart” star told entertainment outlet Variety on Thursday that he was ready to serve under Trump.
“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,” Gibson said in a statement to USA TODAY on Friday.
“Any chance the position comes with an Ambassador’s residence?” Gibson joked.
Trump took to conservative social platform Truth Social to name Gibson a “special ambassador” to Hollywood alongside fellow conservative actors Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone.
Donald Trump taps Sylvester Stallone,Mel Gibson and Jon Voight to be Hollywood ‘ambassadors’
“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 wrote Thursday. “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!”
He continued: “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!”
USA TODAY reached out to reps for Voight and Stallone for comment.
Jon Voight responds to Trump appointment: ‘We are fortunate’
Voight opened up about the appointment in a statement provided to USA TODAY on Friday.
“I’m old enough to have touched some years of the Golden Age of Hollywood, and I’ve seen its slow deterioration since. Today, we are in pretty bad shape,” the “Midnight Cowboy” actor said. “Very few films are made here now, but we are fortunate to have an incoming President, who wants to restore Hollywood to its former glory, and with his help, I feel we can get done.
He continued: “Now we have been through these horrible fires and our spirits are down, but we are resilient. We will help each other and we will rebuild. Love to everyone across the nation who has come to our aid.”
The U.S. film and television industries have faced some major hurdles in recent years between the COVID-19 pandemic, long-running strikes and economic troubles. It wasn’t immediately clear what the actors’ responsibilities would be in this role or how much authority they would have.
Gibson implied in a video posted by TMZ in October that he had cast his vote for Trump in 2024, saying it was a “pretty good guess” when asked if he backed the GOP nominee.
“I know what it will be like if we let her in … and that ain’t good,” Gibson added, referring to Trump’s opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
We’ve never been particularly fond of the Lexus RC, but that won’t stop us from mourning the death of yet another V-8. Lexus has confirmed that the regular RC and the eight-cylinder RC F will end production after this year. That means they won’t be retired immediately, rather 2025 marks the final model year for both cars.
Before it goes, the RC gets one minor visual change, as it adopts red brake calipers (changed from orange). That only applies to rear-drive RC F Sport models, though, as the other trims are unchanged.
Things are slightly more exciting for the proper RC F, which will be sold exclusively in Final Edition form for 2025. The last version of the RC F builds off last year’s Carbon Package model, so it features a carbon-fiber treatment for the front spoiler, rear diffuser, roof, and the active rear wing.
The RC F rides on a set of 19-inch BBS wheels, and there’s even a special engine-cover badge for its 5.0-liter V-8. As with the lesser RC, the F gets red brake calipers. The interior gets a new look too, with the leather and Ultrasuede finished in a special red and black job.
The last RC F we tested was the 2021 Fuji Speedway Edition, which we guided to 60 mph in 4.0 seconds flat. While certainly not slow, the $100,000 Lexus continues to fall by the wayside of competitors in the same price class. Still, we’ll lament the loss of yet another naturally aspirated V-8 on our roads.
For the final model year, the 2025 Lexus RC300, with its turbo four and rear-wheel drive, starts at $46,445. The all-wheel-drive version has a naturally aspirated V-6 and is priced at $49,135. Meanwhile, the RC350 has a more powerful version of the same V-6; it starts at $49,375 and $51,540 for rear- or all-wheel drive, respectively. The RC F Final Edition starts at $94,000 and features a 472-hp 5.0-liter V-8.
