There have been recent reports saying that veteran Hollywood action star Sylvester Stallone is being considered by US President-elect Donald J. Trump as chairman for the National Endowment for the Arts.
However, in a recent interview, the “Rocky” actor said that he might pass up on the possible appointment.
He said that while he is incredibly flattered to have been suggested to be involved with the National Endowment for the Arts, he believes that he could be more effective to the Trump administration by bringing national attention to returning military personnel in an effort to find gainful employment, suitable housing, and financial assistance, details the New York Daily News.
Stallone said that the American veterans, which he also describes as heroes, respectfully deserve such treatment for serving the American flag and their country.
But the “Rambo” actor did not go into specifics on how he intends to help service the American veterans.
A big name for a big agency
Had Stallone accepted Trump’s nomination, he would have been one of the biggest names in show business to ever lead the independent agency, subject of course to the confirmation of the appointment from the Senate.
The National Endowment for the Arts hosts a $150 million budget for art-related grants, and is currently headed by Jane Chu, an artist and a musician. She was appointed to the post by outgoing US President Barack Obama.
A representative of Trump said that no decision has been made regarding the offer to Stallone to possibly head the National Endowment for the Arts, who also confirmed that Donald Trump and Sylvester Stallone are old friends.
The rep also added that President-elect Trump thinks highly of Stallone as an artist but no decisions have been made regarding the chairmanship of the National Endowment for the Arts.
Stallone and Trump had a history. Trump’s campaign launched a web ad that featured a speech from Stallone’s 2006 “Rocky Balboa.” On January 1, Stallone was also quoted as saying that he loves Donald Trump, reports Fox News.
“The Expendables” actor also compared Trump to a great Dickensian character. He said he had considered running for public office himself but changed his mind five minutes later when he came to his senses.
A sudden exit
Aside from “The Expendables 4,” everybody was looking forward to Sylvester Stallone to take on a key role in Jim Mickle’s “Godforsaken” crime drama.
In fact, many are saying that “Godforsaken” would have been a good follow-up movie from Stallone after his success and critical acclaim in the movie “Creed” where he won a Best Supporting Actor award from the Golden Globes. He also got nominated by the Academy Awards for the same role and in the same category.
“Godforsaken” is the story of an ex-con who hears about the death of a son he barely knows that he must get some default revenge.
While it sounds like an average revenge movie, the involvement of Jim Mickle provided an interesting wrinkle during its production. “Godforsaken” would not be another slam-bang action like “The Expendables” movie series or the “Escape Plan” which were both sleepwalkers for Stallone.
Unfortunately, the latest word on the movie is that the 70-year-old veteran Hollywood action star has suddenly left the film, which he helped develop at the script level.
There has been no official reason as to why Stallone decided to depart the movie but it could be that we saw another project with better potentials.
Most critics believe that Sly is passing up a golden opportunity with “Godforsaken” because they think that the movie is a small crime drama with enormous potential.
The movie was supposed to start production in two weeks but the departure of Sylvester Stallone may have an impact on the movie, whose screenplay was written by Daniel Casey.