Steven Seagal has a chance to switch from shooting guns to selling them, as a representative of the Russian arms industry. And if that wasn’t odd enough, this news comes shortly after Seagal played a pivotal role in assisting a Congressional diplomatic mission to Russia. Who knew? Seagal has Russian ancestry, and it doesn’t hurt that his film career as an action hero and martial artist has him battling significantly fewer Russians compared to some of his contemporaries in the genre.
Seagal accompanied Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin to a gun manufacturing plant, and Rogozin put forward a possible partnership with the actor, alluding to Seagal’s many roles battling terrorists in action movies. “We are discussing the possibility with the shareholders of including Mr. Seagal in efforts to promote their brand to an international market and show how they compare to the best of American and Western arms,” said Rogozin.
Russia is the world’s second largest manufacturer of weapons behind the U.S., but the industry may hope to change that with Seagal as a spokesman. It would be another in a line of briefly memorable business ventures from Seagal, from his reality show Lawman to his Tibetan berry-fueled energy drink ‘Steven Seagal’s Lightning Bolt’.
This all stems back to Seagal taking a leaf from Dennis Rodman’s book by partaking in a Congressional mission to Russia in connection to the Boston Marathon bombings. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher praised the actor for helping them meet with security officials and avoid complications on the trip. Though the delegation did not visit Chechnya, where the Tsarnaevs hailed from, Seagal was in the region last week, and spoke out in defense of Chechnya’s leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who has been accused of human rights abuses during conflicts with Chechen separatists.
“All these accusations are thrown around,” said Seagal. “Is there any evidence? Has he been indicted?” Seagal also met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in March. “I’m friends with many presidents of many countries and there’s rumors about all of them,” he said. Whatever you say, Steven. Whatever you say.
(Wall Street Journal, LA Times, ABC News via AV Club, image via John Cameron)
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