The 'Under Siege' star, who became a Russian citizen in 2016, will be tasked with promoting 'Russian-American humanitarian ties.'
- Aug 6, 2018
AceShowbiz - Hollywood action man Steven Seagal has been appointed a special representative by members of the Russian government.
The Under Siege star, who became a Russian citizen in 2016, will be tasked with promoting "Russian-American humanitarian ties".
"I've always had a very strong desire to do all I can to help improve Russian-American relations," the actor says. "I have worked tirelessly in this direction for many years unofficially and I am now very grateful for the opportunity to do the same thing officially".
"The very case when folk diplomacy meets diplomacy traditional," representatives from the foreign ministry add. "In international practice, there are parallels with the functions of the (United Nations) goodwill ambassadors".
Last year (17), Seagal was banned from the Ukraine over his vocal support of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Meanwhile, the 66-year-old is hitting headlines in America for all the wrong reasons after Jenny McCarthy and actress Regina Simons accused him of sexual assault and harassment. He has denied the allegations.
Seagal also came under fire from Julianna Margulies, amid the Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct scandal last year (17), when she recalled a strange hotel room meeting with the actor, during which he brandished a gun.
In a chat for the Katie Couric Podcast in May, the former ER actress opened up about the incident with Steven, her Out For Justice co-star.
"I walked in and I sat down and I jumped right back up because there was something very uncomfortable and hard in the couch. He laughed and said, 'Oh sorry that must have been my gun'," she said. "He lifted up the cushion and he took out his gun. And I had never seen a gun in my life, not up close. I said, 'Oh my God.' I started getting very sweaty and he said, 'Oh it's just for all the crazies that are out there. I have to protect myself'".
The then 23-year-old college graduate had expected the female casting director who asked her to meet with Steven to be in attendance. However, once she realised she was alone in a hotel room with the armed Under Siege actor, Julianna got angry with herself, calling herself "stupid".
The actor bizarrely informed Julianna that he was a “healer” and asked to read her palm, something she admitted she found comical.
"He told me I had really weak kidneys," the 51-year-old laughed. "At that point, to be honest, as a New York girl, I kind of started laughing inside. Like, this guy's pathetic... I squirmed my way out of there".
Julianna finally left Steven's room "sweating" and with a "pounding" heart, but was forced to return the $15 (£11) cab fare she'd insisted on before attending the audition. After the actor gave her the money she left, and she didn't see Steven again until they started working on the 1991 film together.
She refused to meet with the tough guy actor alone on set: "I said to everyone in there, 'I know you don't know me, but I'd really appreciate it if no one would ever let me be in the room alone with him'. Because I was scared," she added.
