While answering questions, Sebastian Stan approaches the webcam lens of the computer he is connected to. As if he were, in a certain sense, eliminating distances. Connected from a London hotel for our exclusive interview , he is in the midst of the promotional campaign for Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice , in which he plays none other than Donald Trump . A role, as they say, that is worth a career. An excellent performance by someone who could be considered one of the greatest contemporary actors.
The set, among other things, he shares with two other champions: Jeremy Strong in the role of fixer Roy Cohn, and Maria Bakalova who plays Ivana Trump. Sebastian Stan, for the entire twenty-four minutes of the interview (he was very generous, and that is not at all a common thing), thinks about the answers, takes a breath, weighs his voice. Like when he reflects on what the killer instinct of an actor is, given that in the film, the character of Trump himself, claims to have a deadly instinct “For me it is the truth, and how you make real what, instead, is not” .
The Apprentice: Interview with Sebastian Stan
Sebastian, how did you manage to immerse yourself so deeply in Trump’s body?
Well, I think when you play real people, fortunately there is a lot of information to draw from, and to look for inspiration. I think it almost becomes a real detective story to solve. You put things together and try to understand what drives a person, where these decisions come from. There is a technical aspect that has to be applied consistently over time. It really becomes second nature.
Ali Abbasi spoke to both her and Jeremy Strong separately before filming. What struck her most about the performance her co-star brought to the table?
The unpredictability I felt I had in what Jeremy brought to every day, and every take. As a result, I felt very alert, very alive on set. And I think I was immediately in awe. For me, it was a great parallel to the relationship we were exploring, as if I was Donald in that moment. At work, being surprised is key, that’s the best.
There is a heated political discussion in the United States around The Apprentice. Do you think that helps or hurts your film?
In the film we are talking about a man who has always believed that there is no such thing as bad publicity, and his participation in the debate only confirms that, obviously. But I think the goal was to talk about the film. And I say: even just trying to start a conversation in such a polarized environment is a victory. Everything about this film has been a victory for us, even in terms of it being almost banned from being released. Now we are talking about it and people can choose to go and see it. It is a victory, in a very scary time.
Did you have any pressure while making it?
My experience so far has been just compliments on how good and brave I was. People felt a certain curiosity about what this film was trying to do. But I think I made a very clear choice once I decided that this is what I was going to do, that I wasn’t going to let anyone or anything scare me or censor me or have an impact on how I approached the work.
How much weight did your judgment have on the character? Did you embrace reality or did you take refuge in representation?
I think there was a certain degree of actuality that you had to distance yourself from, just to get an objective point of view on the period and what was happening to these characters.
There is a very strong sequence, where Trump rapes Ivana. What was it like to shoot that?
We had an intimacy coordinator, and we followed the obvious approach, which is to make sure we were all on the same page, and how we were going to shoot the scene. Obviously, there is a certain trust, which is important between the actors. We felt that the scene, as brutal as it is, was still necessary not only for Trump’s character, but also for what happened in Ivana’s testimony under oath, where she talked about it.
Practical question: The sound design is amazing, capturing the chaos of New York, even though it was shot in Toronto. Was it difficult to shoot outside?
Locations are always important. We had an incredible team that did the production design and locations. We had Kasper Tuxen, the cinematographer who shot Apocalypse Now , with us . He saw the film twice and said it was the best New York film he had ever encountered!
Trump wrote on Truth Social that the movie is false and classless. How did he react?
Unfortunately, it’s not very surprising, but I’m glad he acknowledged the movie in some way, I think it shows that he really cares. If he does, it’s good for us. I’m glad he did. I also want to thank him for thinking of me at 1:00 AM when he could be thinking of other more important things.
After The Apprentice, what more have you learned about the United States?
We need to continue to explore the idea of ??the American dream, which on the one hand can be so rewarding and on the other hand can be very expensive. I think you have to look at the system in which this man, Trump, was born. You also have to look at Europe as a point of comparison. But it’s not all black and white. The truth is much more gray and we have to analyze it from all angles.
I don’t know if you’ve ever met Trump, but if you did, what would you say to him?
What would I ask him? Simple: How do you wake up and look in the mirror every day and lie to yourself so much? Tell me because I’m really curious. Do you feel anything other than self-hatred?