It seems like a given that Sebastian Stan would have been warned against portraying controversial figure Donald Trump in The Apprentice, but one studio CEO went a step further in his caution.
During a conversation with The New York Times published ahead of the film’s release in theaters today, the actor shared what his family and friends said when he told them he was taking on the role and noted that he spoke to people before agreeing to it.
“Pretty sure my mom said, ‘At least you get to shave,’” Stan said. “But I asked a lot of people about it, actually. A CEO of a studio told me not to do it because I was going to alienate half the country, and a casting director, who I respect very much said, ‘We don’t need another Trump movie, you’re never going to get any applause for it.’” (Contrary to that casting director, Stan has already begun receiving Oscar buzz for playing the former president and current Republican presidential nominee.)
The A Different Man star also revealed that people asked him if he would be worried about his safety following the film’s release. “But for some reason every time somebody said, ‘Don’t do it,’ it made me want to do it more,” he admitted.
The Apprentice follows a young Donald Trump in 1970s New York as he tries to make a name for himself as the second son of a wealthy family. Then he meets cutthroat lawyer Roy Cohn, who sees him as “the perfect protégé,” who will do whatever it takes to win, according to the description.
Director Ali Abbasi explained that the film can be interpreted in different ways. It can be seen as the story of a man becoming “a monster,” or it could be more about “human tragedy,” if the people in the story hadn’t been so focused on winning and taking.
Jeremy Strong, who portrays Cohn in The Apprentice, told the Times he feels the film is “mandatory viewing for any sentient beings who care about what’s happening in this country” ahead of the presidential election next month.
“I think it offers vital insight, which could move the needle in a real way,” the Emmy-winning Succession star said. “In this moment where we’re surrounded by rhetoric of hate and divisiveness, I think art has a place and film has a place.”
Stan, for his part, noted that he worries that people are “desperate for answers and for guidance” and just want to be told how they should feel and what’s right and wrong.
“This whole discomfort with the film only reflects why it’s important: It isn’t just what you’re learning about Trump, it’s also what you’re learning about yourself from Trump,” he said. “I worry that we’re not going deeper anymore with how we approach things. We’re just reading Wikipedia pages. If that’s what you’re going to do, then you’ll just float among the rest of the ghosts of Christmas past. But the rest of us, at least, are going to try and get to the bottom of some things.”
