Sylvester Stallone has joked that one of his most famous movie characters, Rambo, would be an anti-mask fighter if the film First Blood was made today.
The 74-year-old actor shared the sentiment on Instagram, where he posted a photoshopped still from the film, with his character being asked: "Where is the mask son?" Stallone captioned the snap: "If FIRST BLOOD Were to be made today..."
It looks as though Stallone is intending to show he is against wearing face masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as he wades into what has become one of the defining political arguments of the coronavirus era.
Stallone's representatives confirmed to Newsweek that the actor intended the Instagram post to be humorous and confirmed that he is a proponent of mask-wearing in compliance with all government and social regulations.
The Centers for Disease Control and Protection currently recommends all Americans wear masks to help prevent the spread of the virus but many believe this to be an attack on their personal freedoms with President Donald Trump suggesting that wearing one could be considered a political statement against him.
Stallone made Rambo a household name and the franchise has spawned four sequels and with the latest Rambo V: Last Blood released just last year, the troubled veteran was released somewhat into the zeitgeist again.
"I'm almost like a political atheist," Stallone himself said, per The Hollywood Reporter, promoting the film in Cannes last year.
"[Rambo] was never supposed to be, by any means, a political statement. It became one... I don't think I'm smart enough. That's not my strength. I'm not a political animal. I never have been. I don't want to be. I'm just a storyteller. But, oh my God, once Reagan said, 'I saw Rambo, and he's a Republican!'"
As for his political leanings, Stallone has long been considered a Republican for supporting John McCain's 2008 presidential run, but in 2016, the Rocky actor said he wasn't a member of the GOP.
Speaking to Variety in the same year, he said: "I don't think you can be totally one-sided forever. Then you close your mind to all sorts of possibilities. It's just, 'Who comes along better at that time for what the planet is going through?' Right now, it's pretty confusing on every side."
He also added that he "loved" Trump, explaining: "He's a great Dickensian character. You know what I mean? There are certain people like Arnold, Babe Ruth, that are bigger than life. But I don't know how that translates—to running the world."
Update 7/21/20: This article was updated to include comment from Stallone's representative.
