• IVA - Movie Extras

Clip for 'The Apprentice' starring Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong, Maria Bakalova, Martin Donovan, Catherine McNally

NEW YORK β€” Hard as it may be to believe, there aren’t a lot of Hollywood agents clamoring for their star clients to take the role of one of the most polarizing political figures of the 21st century.

Maria Bakalova and Sebastian Stan in a scene from the film "The Apprentice."Β 

Sebastian Stan, though, was committed to β€œThe Apprentice.” More than anything, he believed in its director, the Iranian Danish filmmaker Ali Abbasi. And, even though it made him nervous β€” or maybe because it made it him nervous β€” he wanted to do it. He wanted to play Donald Trump.

β€œThere wasn’t a lot of competition,” Stan says, chuckling.

β€œIt was one of those things I thought: If this isn’t going to happen, it’s not going to happen because of me,” Stan says. β€œIt’s not going to not happen because I’m scared.”

By a landslide, β€œThe Apprentice” is the most controversial movie of the fall. It stars Stan as a young Trump playing apprentice to the attorney Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong) while trying to make a name for himself in 1980s New York real estate. Already, β€œThe Apprentice” has had one of the most tortured paths to movie theaters of any 2024 release.

After its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, all the major studios and top specialty labels passed on making an offer. One potential issue was a cease and desist letter from Trump’s legal team. Another was that one of the movie’s investors β€” Dan Snyder, the former owner of the Washington Commanders and a Trump supporter β€” wanted to exit the movie.

Jeremy Strong, left, and Sebastian Stan in a scene from "The Apprentice."

Only last week, Briarcliff Entertainment announced that it will open β€œThe Apprentice” on Oct. 11, just weeks before Election Day. And it’s still fighting for more screens. On Tuesday, the filmmakers took the unusual step of launching a Kickstarter crowdsourcing campaign to raise money for its release.

β€œThis project has been pretty crazy, from beginning to the end,” Abbasi says. β€œIt’s still not completely there. It’s going to get more crazy, maybe.”

Trump's reelection campaign vigorously opposed the movie. After its Cannes debut, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung called the film β€œpure fiction.” On Friday, after its release date was confirmed, Cheung declared it β€œelection interference by Hollywood elites.”

What role, if any, β€œThe Apprentice” might play in the lead-up to Nov. 5 will be one of the most notable storylines at the movies this fall. While many Hollywood stars are vocal supporters of Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, it’s far rarer that plainly political films squeak through today’s sequel- and superhero-dominated movie industry. That makes for a unique election-year test case: Will liberals want to see a film about Trump? Will conservatives turn out for a film Trump opposes?

Abbasi, whose previous film β€œHoly Spider” turned a questioning eye on Iranian society through the story of a serial killer targeting women, says he’s not trying to tell anyone how to vote.

β€œDo I want to show you some stuff about character? Yes, I would very much love that and I think we have some great stuff to show,” says Abbasi. β€œWhat you do with that knowledge is up to you. But that knowledge might come in handy if you want to go and vote.”

To Abbasi, grappling with contemporary politics is his responsibility as a filmmaker. As ubiquitous as Trump is, Abbasi argues there have been paltry attempts to really understand the former president.

β€œWith Donald and Ivana, they’ve never really been treated as human beings,” Abbasi says. β€œThey’re either treated badly or extremely good β€” it’s like this mythological thing. The only way if you want to break that myth is to deconstruct it. I think a humanistic view is the best way you can deconstruct that myth.”

β€œFor me, the best comp for him is Barry Lyndon,” Abbasi adds, referencing the Stanley Kubrick film of the same name. β€œWhen you think about Barry Lyndon, you don’t think about that guy as being a bad guy or a good guy. He has this ambivalence and this uncanny ability to navigate. He wants to be somebody. He doesn’t really know what or why. He just sort of wants to ascend.”

β€œThe Apprentice” found a mixed reception from critics at Cannes, though Stan and Strong were widely praised. The movie notably includes a scene in which Trump, played by Stan, rapes Ivana (played by Maria Bakalova). In Ivana Trump’s 1990 divorce deposition, she stated that Trump raped her. Trump denied the allegation and Ivana Trump later said she didn’t mean it literally, but rather that she had felt violated.

But, Abbasi maintains, β€œThe Apprentice” is not a hit job. He insisted that Trump, himself, might like the movie. At the same time, some critics have questioned whether β€œThe Apprentice” shows too much empathy to Trump and Cohn, who was Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s chief counsel during the 1954 communist hearings.

β€œI don’t think any of us are above it. I don’t think any of us are born perfect people or we’re not morally compromised,” says Stan. β€œIt’s really, really much muddier and trickier than that, life is. I think the only way we can learn is through empathy. I think we have to protect empathy and continue to nourish it. And I think one way of nourishing empathy is showing what its exact opposite can be.”

Become a #ThisIsTucson member! Your contribution helps our team bring you stories that keep you connected to the community. Become a member today.