Sylvester Stallone has been criticised for suggesting his character Rambo would be against wearing a face mask in the coronavirus pandemic.
The actor, 74, posted a still from 1982 action film First Blood showing the character Rambo – mask-free – being asked: “Where is the mask, son?”
Stallone then added the caption: “If FIRST BLOOD were to be made today...”
Many of Stallone ‘s followers replied in the belief that the actor was poking fun at the ongoing debate over whether the public should wear face coverings or not.
‘In this case, John Rambo would be wrong,” one person wrote, with another adding: “That would make Rambo the bad guy.”
Someone else wrote: “So he obviously thinks he IS Rambo. Delusional.”
Despite his post, Stallone has been pictured multiple times wearing a face mask. The Independent has contacted the actor for comment.
The subject of whether members of the public should wear face masks has become heated in recent weeks.
Since the outbreak of coronavirus, conflicting messages have been sent by the UK government, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the USA.
However, numerous studies have shown that wearing any type of face covering over the nose and mouth can help in reducing the spread of viral droplets when a person coughs or sneezes.
It will now be compulsory to wear face coverings in shops and supermarkets from 24 July in England. Those who fail to comply could be fined up to £100.
Over the weekend, anti-mask activists gathered in Hyde Park to protest the announcement.
Demonstrators at the event in London on Sunday were seen carrying signs that read “no masks” and “I will not be masked, tested, tracked”, in opposition to the coronavirus restrictions.
Stallone has played the character of Vietnam war veteran John Rambo in five films, the most recent of which – Last Blood – was released in 2019.
