Actor Jon Voight met with US President Donald Trump earlier this year to advocate for a federal tax credit to boost film and television production in the United States.
Representatives for the actor said the previously undisclosed meeting took place at the White House on 11 February, according to Reuters.
The meeting forms part of a wider Hollywood effort to secure federal support as productions continue to move overseas.
Asked about the meeting, a White House spokesperson said Trump "is committed to Make Hollywood Great Again" and that his administration was exploring policy options to ensure Hollywood remained "a potent force of American culture".
Trump named Voight, who rose to fame in the 1969 film Midnight Cowboy, as one of three special ambassadors to Hollywood in January 2025, alongside Sylvester Stallone and Mel Gibson.
Voight is working with a coalition that includes the Motion Picture Association, the Directors Guild of America and unions representing actors, writers and other entertainment workers.
SP Media Group CEO Steven Paul, a film producer and Voight's agent, and SP Media president Scott Karol have proposed a 20% federal tax credit for labour costs on film and television productions made in the United States.
An additional 5% credit could be available for independent films or productions filmed in a disaster zone or designated enterprise zone. The credits could also be used alongside state incentives.
The aim is to make US production more competitive with countries including Britain, Canada and Ireland, which have attracted international film and television projects through tax incentives, studio infrastructure and skilled crews.
According to ProdPro data cited by Reuters, filming in the US declined 10% in the first quarter compared with the same period last year.
The United States accounted for around 38% of film and television work tracked in the first quarter, while the UK and Canada together represented almost one-third of global production.
The accompanying ProdPro data also showed Ireland accounting for 2.5% of tracked film and television work in the first quarter, ahead of Hungary on 1.9% and not far behind Spain on 3%.
Ireland offers a Section 481 tax credit worth up to 32% of eligible Irish expenditure, with enhanced 40% rates available in certain categories.
Trump floated the idea of a 100% tariff on films made abroad in September 2025 as a way of encouraging production to return to the United States.
Industry advocates welcomed his focus on production flight, but have urged support for tax incentives rather than tariffs.
California more than doubled its annual tax incentives for film and television production in June 2025 to $750 million. Early figures show shoot days in Los Angeles rose by almost 11% in the first quarter of this year, according to permitting agency FilmLA.
Source: Reuters
