Karate Kid star Martin Kove believes Hollywood has become too political—and he’s hopeful his longtime friend Sylvester Stallone can help restore its creative focus.
Kove, best known for playing John Kreese in the 1984 classic, shared his thoughts on Stallone’s new role as Hollywood ambassador under President Donald Trump during an interview with TMZ on Saturday.
When asked if Stallone could ‘fix things’ in the industry, Kove responded, ‘Certainly, there’s endless movies that need to be reconstructed and that everything is not so political and more artistic. The kind of stuff we voted for years ago as Academy members are missing.’
The 79-year-old actor, who has seen a career resurgence with Cobra Kai, also praised this year’s films for being more artistically driven, but said the industry still has a long way to go.
‘This year there’s been a lot of movies on the money, artistically sound, without massive political statements. That’s not what the Academy was created for.’
Kove believes Stallone, along with actors like Jon Voight and Mel Gibson, could make a difference.
Karate Kid star Martin Kove believes Hollywood has become too political—and he’s hopeful his longtime friend Sylvester Stallone can help restore its creative focus
During an interview with TMZ on Saturday, Kove, best known for playing John Kreese in the 1984 classic, shared his thoughts on Stallone’s new role as Hollywood ambassador under President Donald Trump
Kove believes Stallone, along with actors like Jon Voight and Mel Gibson (seen in 2016), could make a difference
‘Sly knows what this town needs… Sylvester’s into it, and Jon Voight… I really don’t know Mel [Gibson]… but they are on the job because we gotta improve with what’s going on, as there’s not a lot of production going on in L.A.’
His comments come amid ongoing debates over Hollywood’s creative direction and political influence.
In January, Trump announced Stallone, Voight and Gibson as ‘Special Ambassadors’ to Hollywood, an apparently new post for outreach to Tinseltown.
‘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,’ he wrote on Truth Social.
‘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!’
All have been seen in Trump’s orbit recently. Stallone introduced Trump at Mar-a-Lago for his first speech after winning the election in November.
Gibson revealed his support for Trump in a video days before the election – while also going negative and unloading on VP Kamala Harris.
Trump announced the ‘Special Ambassadors’ positions days before his inauguration
Kove is best known for playing John Kreese in the 1984 classic Karate Kid
The 79-year-old actor, who has seen a career resurgence with Cobra Kai, also praised this year’s films for being more artistically driven, but said the industry still has a long way to go
‘I know what it’ll be like if we let her in. And that ain’t good. Miserable track record. No policies to speak of. She’s got the IQ of a fence post,’ Gibson said.
The ‘Road Warrior’ and ‘The Passion of the Christ’ star said he was ‘ashamed’ of his comments after he was caught on tape giving an antisemitic rant in 2006 during a DUI arrest following a traffic stop.
Voight has been an outspoken Trump backer. Trump awarded him the National Medal of Arts during his first term.
All three provided vital Hollywood support to Trump during an election campaign where Harris was mopping up celebrity endorsements and campaign contributions.
