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There was skepticism about the upcoming Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice ever since it was announced, as it seemed unlikely that any film about the life of one of the most controversial figures in American history would ever end up changing anyone’s mind. Beyond the fact that Trump’s entire life has been relentlessly covered ever since he first became a prominent businessman, there were concerns that any actor who took on the role would end up feeling like a comedic impression, similar to the performance that Alec Baldwin gave on Saturday Night Live in the lead up to the 2016 election. Although it would have been easy just to capture his instantly recognizable mannerisms, Sebastian Stan manages to capture Trump’s essence by showing the moments in his life that shaped him into such an influential figure.

‘The Apprentice’ Is More Than Just a Caricature

The Apprentice digs into a very specific period in Trump’s life, in which his father Fred (Martin Donovan), and the Trump Organization were being sued for allegations of discrimination in the development of apartment complexes. The film depicts a more desperate, vulnerable version of Trump who seeks out the mentorship of the legendary lawyer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), who attained notoriety during the Cold War for being one of the prominent prosecutors of alleged communist spies in the United States. Cohn implores Trump to fight any legal or public relations battle that he can, and to never give into public pressure to apologize. However, Cohn does not realize that he would end up creating a monster, with Trump becoming even more vindictive as his quest for power becomes unquenchable.

Stan does not try to replicate all of Trump’s familiar phrases and physical tics, as it is very clear that he has not yet attained the confidence that would make him so successful as a reality television star. There was little point in telling a story about Trump if it was recounting events that a vast majority of the public was already familiar with, but The Apprentice digs deep into the dysfunctional core of the Trump family. Stan captures the animosity of a spurned child who seems desperate to please his father, even if that means crossing over any ethical boundaries; this includes ignoring the serious drug addictions that his older brother, Fred Jr. (Charlie Carrick) has been experiencing. The film’s most harrowing moments involve the dynamic between Trump and his first wife Ivana (Maria Bakalova), who would become an important figure within his empire. Stan makes it clear that Trump views Ivana merely as an object that he can discard as soon as he gets bored; although Trump has said some truly horrifying things in public, the sequences of domestic abuse in The Apprentice are a reminder of the facade that he has always put on.

‘The Apprentice’ Has Insightful Political Commentary

The Apprentice is an epic American tragedy that examines the culture that spurned Trump. Between the cuts given to the wealthy class and the dominance of corporations in the 1980s during the Ronald Reagan administration, Trump was able to fashion himself as a success story, even though he cheated his way to the top. Stan does an excellent job at showing the levels of self-denial that Trump goes through to convince the world that he is someone that should be viewed as a hero. Although it does offer some dark comedy, a scene in which Trump begins to think about the infamous “Make America Great Again” slogan deconstructs that making a phrase memorable is more important than giving it any value.

Stan’s performance is arguably the most memorable aspect of what is sure to be a divisive film, but The Apprentice is as much an indictment of capitalism as it is a criticism of Trump. The film suggested that by conducting himself with confidence and charisma, Trump was able to avoid facing any real consequences for the misconduct, misbehavior, and dishonesty that dominated his life. The Apprentice doesn’t necessarily capture the Trump of 2024, but Stan’s depiction of the role certainly feels like he could evolve into the controversial man who would change the fabric of American politics forever.

Variety

Sebastian Stan was “losing sleep” over not resembling Donald Trump physically.

“This was always a problem. Everyone has been saying to me: ‘You don’t look like him.’ You’ve already seen so much of him, so I thought it would be better to go ‘less is more’. But we still had to find the right hair and make-up people,” he said at Zurich Film Festival.

“When we started the film, we had a prosthetic test and it really didn’t look like him at all. I was very worried about that – we all were. Then fortunately I called the team who helped me with [portraying] Tommy Lee on ‘Pam & Tommy.’ We were able to find the right balance.”

Since its Cannes premiere, Ali Abbasi’s “The Apprentice” has been sparking controversy due to a scene which shows Trump sexually assaulting his then-wife, Ivana.

“You have to look at your feelings towards something you’re about to do and you have to be very diligent, strict and honest with yourself. Which of them are going to work for you and which are going to work against you? The ones that are going to work against you, you have to discard in order to serve the story,” said Stan about the violent sequence.

“It’s interesting to listen to Ali talk about that scene, because he goes: ‘Why is it controversial?!’ You can’t ignore [Ivana’s divorce] deposition, when she went on record to explain it graphically. Then she retracted it. Screenwriters had to decide what’s closer to the truth and maybe speaking under oath is closer to the truth. You can’t tell this story without including that part of their relationship and that part of his character.”

When he first read the script, written by Gabriel Sherman and depicting Trump’s friendship with infamous attorney Roy Cohn, Stan went as far as “crossing out the names of the characters.”

“I had very strong feelings about it. Then I did this game with myself and I could see a little bit clearer once I removed that big stain from the windshield. There was a story there about someone who started out a certain way, had very specific ideas and dreams, fears, insecurities and family issues, and then something happened. The man, to me, lost the person he was.”

He added: “It seems to me that [in Trump’s case] the need for power and control is so deep it overpowers any other need. I think we are talking about someone who has made the decision that ‘No one will ever have more power than me, ever again.’ You have to ask yourself if a person like that can really make the right decisions. If you are calling yourself the leader of the free world, we have a right to question that.”

As the team kept on working, trying to explore the very idea of the “American Dream” and the hero complex, said Stan – “This obsession with being all you can be, being the best of the best at everything” – Ali Abbasi’s unique perspective turned into an asset.

“He’s not American and doesn’t play for any team. I thought: If anyone has anything to say that we’re not thinking of, being so deep in it, it’s probably someone not from America.”

He also opened up about working with Jeremy Strong, cast as Cohn.

“Roy Cohn was the devil. A lot of people say that,” he noted.

“I’ve always admired [Jeremy] because I felt he cares. Everyone says they care, but they do only as long as it serves their interest. We met a month and a half before shooting: I was trying to gain weight and he was losing it. He said: ‘Do you want to eat anything?’ ‘Yes, I’ll have a burger with fries.’ He replied: ‘I’ll order a cocktail.’ I said: ‘I don’t drink now, he doesn’t.’ He said: ‘Yeah, but he drinks with me in the movie,’” laughed Stan.

“I didn’t really see Jeremy out of character. We would only meet on set, as Roy and Donald. There was no time for dinners or hanging out, or anything like that. I think it helped.”

Playing someone “everyone feels very strongly about and we can’t escape” was especially difficult, but playing a real-life person is a “technical process similar to learning how to play an instrument,” said the actor.

“You are sitting there, every day, for a number of hours. It’s slow and tiresome and annoying, and then you get faster [at it]. You know what the goal is, you just have to get there somehow. I always think of ‘Apollo 13,’” he said, recalling the “putting a square peg in a round hole” scene. “You have to figure out how to fit into it even though you’re not that.”

While “The Apprentice” is very much on his mind, Stan also discussed his role as Bucky Barnes in the Marvel universe.

“Action movies are really fucking hard. I think they don’t get enough recognition. Tom Cruise is not a normal person, right? I don’t know how he’s doing what he’s doing. I’ve never thought I’ll get to play the same role for 15 years. It’s weird – it’s almost like having a second life. He’s evolving as I am, hopefully, in life.”

He’s always happy to hear from Marvel.

“It’s like Christmas morning when the call comes. Santa Claus still lives. We’ve been trying to find new things with [Bucky] and Marvel allowed that. It’s not like now, he’s a good guy and morally invincible. He always has to deal with what he’s done. That’s relatable. That’s all of us.”

Stan came a long way since leaving Romania and later Austria as a child. “I would always do impressions, so my mum thought: ‘He should try doing this.’ She took me to this open call for [Michael Haneke’s] ‘71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance’ and I remember hating it.”

It wasn’t until coming across a “basement full of VHS tapes” in the U.S. and going to an acting camp “after years of wanting to be an astronaut” that things changed, leading to collaborations with such filmmakers as Ridley Scott, Darren Aronofsky or Soderbergh.

“When you get a little more successful, they respond. I’ve been very aggressive about it. I’m okay with saying: ‘I would really like to work with you.’ Sometimes it’s okay to let people know,” he laughed.

Stan recently starred in “A Different Man,” scoring an award at Berlinale – “An important step in my journey” – but as proven in Zurich, some fans never forgot his earlier roles either, including a lengthy stint on “Gossip Girl” as a troublemaking heartthrob.

“Some people never do. I still get it sometimes when I’m getting a coffee and someone whispers: ‘Carter Baizen.’ It’s like ‘Fight Club’ or something.”

THR -The ‘Apprentice’ actor and co-star Jeremy Strong explain why they think it’s a good thing the film is coming out ahead of the election.

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.”

Variety

In Ali Abbasi’s “The Apprentice,” there is a scene where Donald Trump (played by Sebastian Stan) gets a hair transplant to remove a bald spot as well as liposuction to look slimmer.

The film follows Trump as he starts out as a local real estate developer in the 1970s to become a national celebrity in the 1980s. He learns the power game from Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), a ruthless and hedonistic political fixer. Hair department head Michelle Cote, along with prosthetics leads Sean Sansom and Brandi Boulet, were the artisans responsible for transforming Stan into Trump and helping to pull off the sequence.

As time passes, Trump starts to lose his hair and gain weight to the point where he’s popping amphetamines to help with his weight loss. But it doesn’t work.

Stan gained 15 pounds for the role to reflect Trump’s body transformation; the costume department also made a padded suit with a prosthetic belly. “Any of the scenes where his shirt was off or his robe was open, we’d put the fake piece on him,” says Boulet. The team used the prosthetic abdomen for a look they nicknamed “Pills Donny.”

“We had a fake belly that we made for Sebastian for part of his ‘Pills Donny’ look, which was my favorite one to do, because he was all red, blotchy, always eating and sweaty and a little disheveled,” Boulet explains.

Due to his hair loss and weight gain, in the film, Trump resorts to plastic surgery. For the hair transplant scene, Sansom reveals that they used “the top of a fake head with a scalp. Michelle had a toupee, and an area was cut away where the scalp would be removed. The hair was punched in one hair at a time, and the piece was rigged with a bloodline, and the scalpel had a bloodline on it too — and it was shot in one day.”

When audiences are first introduced to Trump, he’s much younger, so Boulet used prosthetic lift pieces on Stan’s face. “We pulled his cheeks and eyes up and tightened his face to make him look younger,” Boulet explains, adding that “for skin tone, we had him a bit lighter than the classic orange that you see at the end.”

Cote even gave Stan a blonder wig with medium sideburns for that early phase of Trump. But it was an evolving look, with his eyebrows, hair and skin tone all changing as time passed. “When he’s younger, his hair was golden because he was outside more and had some natural highlights,” Cote explains. “As he got older, he lost his highlights and [his hair] became darker.”

To capture Trump aging, Boulet would lower Stan’s lift pieces. Cheek plumpers were then added to “bury” the actor’s chiseled face and defined cheekbones. “He had an upper dental plate that didn’t cover his teeth. They were lumps under his lips that pushed the [mouth] area out more so that it was flatter,” Samson explains. “And they were put into his lower lip to give him that Donald look from the nose down.”

One challenge that the team had to navigate was Stan’s facial hair. With day-long shoots, Stan’s facial hair would start to emerge, which meant constant touchups were necessary. “He’s got a five o’clock shadow the minute he starts shaving. So, we had to work with little things like that where we’d have to cover it and blend the prosthetic.”

Makeup artist Colin Penman recalls being captivated while watching the monitor when Stan and Maria Bakalova, who plays Ivana Trump, recreated the 1988 Oprah Winfrey interview. “I knew we had something because there’s this fine line where we don’t want to do a parody. We want it to be real,” he says.

In addition to his weight gain, Stan came fully prepared to play and capture the essence of the former president. “Production had put aside a large file of reference videos and photos that everyone was using,” says Sansom. “We were trying to recreate and reproduce some of the photos as best as we could.”

Boulet adds, “Sebastian had everything. His phone was full of research. He’d come in the morning and would be studying and watching videos.”

THR –

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.”