NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Hard as it may be to believe, there aren鈥檛 a lot of Hollywood agents clamoring for their star clients to take the role of one of the polarizing political figures of the 21st century.
Sebastian Stan, though, was More than anything, he believed in its director, the Iranian Danish filmmaker Ali Abbasi. And, even though it made him nervous 鈥� or maybe because it made it him nervous 鈥� he wanted to do it. He wanted to play
鈥淭here wasn鈥檛 a lot of competition,鈥� Stan says, chuckling.
鈥淚t was one of those things I thought: If this isn鈥檛 going to happen, it鈥檚 not going to happen because of me,鈥� Stan says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not going to not happen because I鈥檓 scared.鈥�
By a landslide, 鈥淭he Apprentice鈥� is the most controversial movie of the fall. It stars Stan as a young Trump playing apprentice to the attorney Roy Cohn ( ) while trying to make a name for himself in 1980s New York real estate. Already, 鈥淭he Apprentice鈥� has had one of the most tortured paths to movie theaters of any 2024 release.
After its debut at the all the major studios and top specialty labels One potential issue was a cease and desist letter from Trump鈥檚 legal team. Another was that one of the movie鈥檚 investors 鈥� Dan Snyder, the former owner of the Washington Commanders and a Trump supporter 鈥� wanted to exit the movie.
Only last week, that it will open 鈥淭he Apprentice鈥� on Oct. 11, just weeks before Election Day. And it鈥檚 still fighting for more screens. On Tuesday, the filmmakers took the unusual step of launching a to raise money for its release.
鈥淭his project has been pretty crazy, from beginning to the end,鈥� Abbasi says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 still not completely there. It鈥檚 going to get more crazy, maybe.鈥�
Trump's reelection campaign has vigorously opposed the movie. After its Cannes debut, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung called the film 鈥減ure fiction.鈥� On Friday, after its release date was confirmed, Cheung declared it 鈥渆lection interference by Hollywood elites.鈥�
What role, if any, 鈥淭he Apprentice鈥� 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 , it鈥檚 far rarer that plainly political films squeak through today鈥檚 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 turned a questioning eye on Iranian society through the story of a serial killer targeting women, says he鈥檚 not trying to tell anyone how to vote.
鈥淒o 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,鈥� says Abbasi. 鈥淲hat you do with that knowledge is up to you. But that knowledge might come in handy if you want to go and vote.鈥�
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.
鈥淲ith Donald and Ivana, they鈥檝e never really been treated as human beings,鈥� Abbasi says. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e either treated badly or extremely good 鈥� it鈥檚 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.鈥�
鈥淔or me, the best comp for him is Barry Lyndon,鈥� Abbasi adds, referencing the Stanley Kubrick film of the same name. 鈥淲hen you think about Barry Lyndon, you don鈥檛 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鈥檛 really know what or why. He just sort of wants to ascend.鈥�
鈥淭he Apprentice鈥� found a mixed reception from critics at Cannes, though Stan and Strong were widely praised. The movie notably includes a scene in which Trump, as played by Stan, rapes Ivana (played by Maria Bakalova). In Ivana Trump鈥檚 1990 divorce deposition, she stated that Trump raped her. Trump denied the allegation and Ivana Trump later said she didn鈥檛 mean it literally, but rather that she had felt violated.
But, Abbasi maintains, 鈥淭he Apprentice鈥� is not a hit job. He has insisted that Trump, himself, might like the movie. At the same time, some critics have questioned whether 鈥淭he Apprentice鈥� shows too much empathy to Trump and Cohn, who was Sen. Joseph McCarthy鈥檚 chief counsel during the 1954 communist hearings.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think any of us are above it. I don鈥檛 think any of us are born perfect people or we鈥檙e not morally compromised,鈥� says Stan. 鈥淚t鈥檚 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 it鈥檚 exact opposite can be.鈥�
Stan, who plays Bucky Barnes (the Winter Soldier) in Marvel movies, was drawn to the film partly because the Copenhagen-based Abbasi brought a European perspective. It鈥檚 something that Stan, who was born in Romania and emigrated to the New York area with his mother at age 12, partly shares. He views the film as an origin story for a 鈥渨in at all costs鈥� ideology.
Strong is much more renowned for staying in character. (Abbasi recalls sometimes being confused by Strong鈥檚 demeanor on set before he realized he was still Roy Cohn.) But Stan also, unwittingly, dabbled in such immersion. He points to his diet, including one scene in which he repeatedly ate cheeseballs.
鈥淚 must have had, like, 25 to 30 cheeseballs that night,鈥� Stan says. 鈥淭he next morning I woke up and, I鈥檓 sorry to say, but I was on the toilet at 6:30 in the morning before I was getting picked up. And I was in such pain. I couldn鈥檛 leave that toilet. It was like: Yeah, I guess this is method acting.鈥�
When the fate of 鈥淭he Apprentice鈥� seemed uncertain, Abbasi was in disbelief. He felt he had made an edgy film, but an entertaining one.
鈥淚 always thought of the United States, yes, it鈥檚 not a perfect place. But one thing was always repeated to me: This is the land of the free. This is the land of freedom of speech. You can say what you want here,鈥� says Abbasi. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not what I鈥檝e been met with. I鈥檝e been met with sheer business calculations.鈥�
Strong echoes those sentiments.
鈥淚t was almost effectively banned, and I find that, alone, very frightening and a harbinger of dark things,鈥� says Strong. 鈥淏ut first and foremost it鈥檚 a movie. It鈥檚 not a political act or a political event. It鈥檚 a movie.鈥�
All three of them, ultimately, just want people to see 鈥淭he Apprentice鈥� 鈥� if possible, with an open mind.
鈥淲e鈥檙e in a very black-and-white mentality right now, and I went into this movie knowing that,鈥� Stan says. 鈥淏ut let鈥檚 take the road less traveled, and maybe other people will, too. I think we have to look at public figures that are consequential in our times, in our lives and we have to reflect and evaluate them.鈥�
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
