Latest news with #TheGoldenAgeofHollywood
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Trump Hollywood ambassador Jon Voight warns we can't let Hollywood go 'down the drain like Detroit'
Jon Voight is taking his role as special ambassador for Hollywood seriously. The "National Treasure" star met with President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida over the weekend just before the president announced 100% tariffs on filming overseas. "It's come to a point where we really do need help, and thank God the president cares about Hollywood and movies," Voight told Variety this week. "He has a great love for Hollywood in that way. We've got to roll up our sleeves here. We can't let it go down the drain like Detroit." Trump appointed Voight along with Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone as Hollywood ambassadors in January soon after taking office, referring to it as a "great but very troubled place." President Trump's Hollywood Ambassador Jon Voight Rolls Out Proposal To 'Make Hollywood Great Again' "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 wrote on Truth Social at the time. "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!" Read On The Fox News App Voight told Variety the goal was to "give people back their dignity and their jobs," without going into specifics about the plan, adding, "Something has to be done, and it's way past time." Although some in the industry have reacted negatively to the tariffs proposal, Voight said he's been getting positive feedback. Like What You're Reading? Click Here For More Entertainment News "We've gotten a lot of good response from people," he added. "We're really rolling up our sleeves and working. I think we have a good plan, and we're just beginning. This little team of mine has worked very hard to try to figure out things. The union people and producers give their expertise and understanding to this problem, and we're working together. A lot of people had a lot of input and we're listening to everybody." Voight said the studios have taken advantage of financial incentives to shoot abroad. Click Here To Sign Up For The Entertainment Newsletter "Every studio has a lot of smart people, and they have maneuvered the write-offs and the gifts that are being given out throughout the world to lure people to different countries," he told Variety. "They take advantage of them. Now we're saying, 'Hey, we have to have that here.' Let's have the level playing field. But really, we need more than that. We need to be competitive." Voight also said he thinks that both he and Trump have been treated unfairly by those in the industry who lean left. "But what's the difference? Who cares?" he said. "I mean, there's been a battle, but now it's time to put that aside. And I must say, in all of the interactions we've had [on addressing runaway production], politics has never come up. Never." "This shouldn't be political," Voight added. "I don't know the political identities of the people we've talked to. We've talked to a lot of people here. I don't distinguish them on their party affiliation. And If we can come up with [a plan that can be executed], he'll back us. He wants us to be the Hollywood of old. If we all come together, I believe we have a bright future."Original article source: Trump Hollywood ambassador Jon Voight warns we can't let Hollywood go 'down the drain like Detroit'
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jon Voight on Trump tariffs: ‘He wants us to be the Hollywood of old'
Jon Voight is speaking out about the tariff plan he said he presented to President Trump, saying the commander in chief is aiming to return Hollywood to a previous era through levies on international films. 'He wants us to be the Hollywood of old,' the 'Midnight Cowboy' star said of Trump in an interview with Variety published Wednesday. 'This shouldn't be political,' added Voight, 86. 'I don't know the political identities of the people we've talked to. We've talked to a lot of people here. I don't distinguish them on their party affiliation. And if we can come up with [a plan that can be executed], he'll back us,' the Academy Award winner said. Voight's remarks came on the heels of Trump's call on Sunday for a 100 percent tariff on foreign films. 'Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States,' Trump said on Truth Social, describing the issue as a 'national security threat.' Voight previously said that he and producer Steven Paul suggested the idea of tariffs on films made in other countries and presented it to Trump, before the president publicly floated the proposal this week. While many in both Hollywood and Washington expressed skepticism and criticism of Trump's tariff push, Voight told Variety he and Paul have 'gotten a lot of good responses from people.' Voight, one of the president's most prominent supporters in the entertainment industry who was awarded the National Medal of Arts by Trump in 2019, said, 'It's come to a point where we really do need help, and thank God the president cares about Hollywood and movies.' 'He has a great love for Hollywood in that way. We've got to roll up our sleeves here. We can't let it go down the drain like Detroit,' he said. Trump has repeatedly described a desire to return the arts and film and TV business to its 'golden age.' In January, Trump announced he was naming Voight and actors Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone to serve as 'special ambassadors' to Hollywood. '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!' he said at the time. Trump also utilized the term after, in an unprecedented move, he named himself chair of the Kennedy Center's board. 'I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture,' he said in February. 'THE BEST IS YET TO COME!' Trump said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Hill
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hill
Jon Voight on Trump tariffs: ‘He wants us to be the Hollywood of old'
Jon Voight is speaking out about the tariff plan he said he presented to President Trump, saying the commander in chief is aiming to return Hollywood to a previous era with the levies on international films. 'He wants us to be the Hollywood of old,' the 'Midnight Cowboy' star said of Trump in an interview with Variety published Wednesday. 'This shouldn't be political,' added Voight, 86. 'I don't know the political identities of the people we've talked to. We've talked to a lot of people here. I don't distinguish them on their party affiliation. And If we can come up with [a plan that can be executed], he'll back us,' the Academy Award winner said. Voight's remarks came on the heels of Trump's call on Sunday for a 100 percent tariff on foreign films. 'Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States,' Trump said on Truth Social, describing the issue as a 'national security threat.' Voight had previously said that he and producer Steven Paul suggested the idea for tariffs on films made in other countries and presented it to Trump, before the president publicly floated the proposal this week. While many in both Hollywood and Washington expressed skepticism and criticism about Trump's tariff push, Voight told Variety he and Paul have 'gotten a lot of good response from people.' Voight, one of the president's most prominent supporters in the entertainment industry who was awarded the National Medal of Arts by Trump in 2019, said, 'It's come to a point where we really do need help, and thank God the president cares about Hollywood and movies.' 'He has a great love for Hollywood in that way. We've got to roll up our sleeves here. We can't let it go down the drain like Detroit,' he said. Trump has repeatedly described a desire to return the arts and film and TV business to its 'golden age.' In January, Trump announced he was naming Voight and actors Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone to serve as 'special ambassadors' to Hollywood. '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!' he said at the time. Trump also utilized the term after, in an unprecedented move, he named himself chairman of the Kennedy Center's board. 'I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture,' he said in February. 'THE BEST IS YET TO COME!' Trump said.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jon Voight Confirms He Suggested Movie Tariffs to Trump
Jon Voight confirmed that he 'brought forward recommendations' to Donald Trump for tariffs on movies made outside the U.S. After Trump announced he is authorizing the Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative to start the process for enacting a 100 percent tariff on American films that are produced in 'foreign lands,' it was speculated that Voight was responsible. Now the actor has released a short video describing his intentions. More from Rolling Stone Jon Stewart Has a Shark Tank Pitch to Stop Americans From Taking Trump's 'Bait' Yet Another GOP Town Hall Descends Into Chaos as Constituents Revolt Russia Is Growing Stronger, But Victory in Ukraine Remains Elusive 'I recently met with our president, Donald J. Trump, who loves the entertainment business,' Voight says in the video, posted to his account on X and titled 'Plan to rescue Hollywood.' '[He] wants to see Hollywood thrive and make films bigger and greater than ever before, as he says, and see productions come back to American Hollywood. The Hollywood that I fell in love with when I was a child and was honored to contribute to during my career. Our industry recently has suffered greatly over these past few years and many Americans have lost jobs to productions that have gone overseas. It's been very serious. People have people have lost their homes. Can't feed their families.' He continued, 'After meeting with many of the entertainment leaders, I have brought forward recommendations to the president for certain tax provisions that can help the industry. Some provisions that could be extended and others that could be revived or instituted. This would help the movie and television production and our beloved theaters that are so important to the American family experience.' Voight further outlined his plans in a press release sent Monday by a representative for Voight and his business partner Steven Paul. It involves a combination of federal tax incentives, tax code changes, co-production treaties, and infrastructure subsidies for theater owners, production, and postproduction companies, per The Hollywood Reporter. Notably, the press release only briefly mentioned tariffs, calling for 'tariffs in certain limited circumstances,' not the 100 percent on all foreign films that Trump announced. The plan comes from months of meetings between Voight, his team, and entertainment stakeholders, including studios, streamers, and guilds. Voight and Paul confirmed that they met with Trump at Mar-A-Lago over the weekend, and said the White House is 'reviewing' their proposals. Voight, a longtime Trump supporter, was named as one of Trump's 'special ambassadors' to Hollywood earlier this year alongside Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone. 'These three very talented people will be my eyes and ears, and I will get done what they suggest,' Trump said at the time. 'It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!' Those themes were echoed in Trump's announcement of the murky film tariff plan on Sunday. The president said he was authorizing 100 percent tariffs on films produced in 'foreign lands,' also known as runaway productions. Trump called these productions a 'national security threat' and claimed they're causing the film industry to die 'a very fast death.' 'Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States,' Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding: 'This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!' It is true that film jobs, especially in California, have declined significantly in recent years because of high production costs and fewer incentives. While many productions have moved to other parts of the United States (like Atlanta), they've also gone abroad thanks to lucrative incentives offered by countries like the U.K. and Canada. But many films also shoot overseas for creative, not economic, reasons, and ostensibly these films would also be hit with the 100 percent if implemented. Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Best 'Saturday Night Live' Characters of All Time Denzel Washington's Movies Ranked, From Worst to Best 70 Greatest Comedies of the 21st Century
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jon Voight says he's sent Trump a 'comprehensive plan' to 'make Hollywood great again'
Jon Voight said he has presented Donald Trump with his plan to "make Hollywood great again." Trump appointed Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone as his special ambassadors to Hollywood. Voight's proposal called for "tariffs in certain limited circumstances." Actor Jon Voight said on Monday that he has presented President Donald Trump with a plan to revitalize the US film industry. "The President loves the entertainment business and this country, and he will help us make Hollywood great again," Voight said in a statement. Voight and his manager, Steve Paul, said in a press release that their proposal includes rolling out federal tax incentives, changing the tax code, inking co-productive treaties with foreign countries, and handing out infrastructure subsidies to cinema owners as well as production and post-production companies. Voight's proposal also called for a "focus on job training" and the imposition of "tariffs in certain limited circumstances." The statement said the White House is reviewing the proposal. "We look forward to working with the administration, the unions, studios, and streamers to help form a plan to keep our industry healthy and bring more productions back to America," Voight said. Voight's remarks come just a day after Trump said he was considering imposing a 100% tariff on movies made outside the US. Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Sunday that the US film industry is "DYING a very fast death" while other countries were doling out incentives to lure American filmmakers to produce their work there. "This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!" Trump wrote. This isn't the first time Trump has talked about boosting the US film industry. In January, before his second inauguration, Trump announced that he was appointing Voight, as well as actors Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone, as his ambassadors to Hollywood. "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!" Trump wrote. "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!" he continued. Trump did not specify how or when his tariff would be implemented. On Monday, he appeared to soften his stance when he told reporters that he would ask film studios if "they are happy" with his proposed tariff before rolling it out. "So we are going to meet with the industry. I want to make sure they are happy with it because we are all about jobs," Trump said. The White House did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Read the original article on Business Insider
