The Apprentice: Donald Trump releasing the film was a 'huge challenge'

The star of a controversial new film about Donald Trump says the former president “should be grateful” that it provides a “complex, three-dimensional take” on his life.

American actor Sebastian Stan plays Trump in The Apprentice, which focuses on Trump's early years as a real estate tycoon in New York.

The former president threatened legal action against the producers, describing the film as “fake and classless” and saying he hoped it would “bomb” at the box office.

The film struggled to find a distributor in the US, and its director described the process of making and releasing it as “the most challenging thing I've ever done”.

The Apprentice is set in the 1970s and 80s, when Trump began to make a name for himself as a businessman in New York.

It focuses on his relationship with lawyer and mentor Roy Cohn (played by Legacy's Jeremy Strong), who instills certain values ​​in Trump such as never admitting defeat.

Speaking to the BBC's Lizo Mzimba, Ali Abbasi said that making and releasing the film was “the most challenging thing I've ever done” and admitted the difficulty of finding a distributor after the film's premiere in May.

“When we were [film festival] Cannes and we got a standing ovation and everyone was so happy and flattered, I was thinking there's going to be a bidding war, do I go with Warner or Netflix, who do I choose?”

But contrary to the director's expectations, Abbasi said he then found it “extremely difficult for us to get a distributor” — possibly because of Trump's threat to sue.

The Apprentice was finally released in the US last week, but it Struggled at the box office There until now

It received its British premiere at the London Film Festival on Tuesday evening before a UK release on Friday.

More from the London Film Festival:

Abbasi has confirmed that he is keen to ensure the movie is released before the November 5 US election, where Trump will face Kamala Harris, so it could be part of the conversation.

“The options are to potentially release it in a Trump presidency, or after the election anyway. [goes]Or have to do it now,” Abbasi said.

“And I think it's much more exciting intellectually and as an artist [to release it now].

“I don't think anyone's ever done a movie about a person who's running for office and they're doing this and having this interaction, it's pretty unique, honestly, and why would I pass up this opportunity?”

He added: “Does that mean we want to influence or change the outcome of the US election? I mean, I wish I had that power!”

However, Strong suggested that the movie may have swayed some potential voters.

“In some small way, I think it can move the needle on people's feelings [about] Or perceive him, but the film is not a political work, it is a story,” he said.

The film received mixed reactions And there is debate over whether it could be part of the Oscar race.

Vanity Fair's Richard Lawson noted that the election results could be a key factor in whether or not a movie is nominated.

“If Trump wins the election, I don't think so [awards voters] I want to do something with this movie.” Lawson said on the Little Gold Men podcast.

“For humans to win a Harris, 'Okay, we've defeated evil again, we can now go back and revisit his little life from a safe remove.'”

If the movie makes it into the Oscar race, it could look strong in direct competition along with her former Heir co-star Kieran Culkin In the supporting actor category.

The Marvel star Stan avoids portraying Trump as a caricature villain, or the exaggerated, comical way Trump is often portrayed by Impressionists.

Instead, The Apprentice serves as a more serious character study of how Trump's personality was formed by Cohn.

The natural voice, gestures, and features that actors often don't use make Trump's gradual evolution over the course of two hours all the more effective.

“Some might want the apprentice to go further,” says Katie Walsh of the LA Times In his review. “It humanizes Trump.

“But it also presents a starkly vivid picture of how a man can become a monster with the right personality, background and guidance.”

By the end of the film, Cohn's influence on Trump can be clearly seen. For younger audience members who have only gotten to know Trump in the past decade, the film may be enlightening.

Stan reflects: “They are [Trump and Cohn] Very complex people, and that's life, no one is morally completely right or perfect in any way, everyone has flaws and some redeeming qualities.”

Strong told BBC News: “The film is about how Trump was made, in a way, how he became who he is today, his moral, philosophical, political framework and a lot of it originates in Roy Cohn, so in that sense, it's an origin story.

“We live in this hyper-polarized world where we see things in terms of heroes and villains, but the world isn't like that.

“And none of us were interested in just insulting or demonizing these people. Your job as an actor is to leave your judgment at the door.”

Stan concluded: “I think so [Trump] Be grateful, be honest. We gave him a lot of, I think, a very complex, three-dimensional take on his life, and I can't think of anyone else doing that.”

It goes without saying that Trump's portrayal is sympathetic. Quite the opposite. Stan's Trump treats people increasingly badly, and in one particularly controversial scene he is seen raping his then-wife Ivana.

The allegations have a complicated background — Ivana Trump accused Trump of rape in a 1990 court deposition while they were divorcing, but she later distanced herself from the claim.

In 2015, Ivana described a sexual encounter in which she said the “love and tenderness” Trump usually displayed was absent, leaving her feelings “violated.” He continued: “I referred to it as 'rape', but I don't want my words to be interpreted in a literal or criminal sense.”

She later dedicated her 2017 memoir to Trump, describing him as “my children's father and my dearest friend”. He died in 2022.

Trump denies sexual assault – his lawyer says rape “never happened” And Trump's team has threatened to sue the producers.

Earlier this week, Trump said in a statement: “My ex-wife, Ivana, was a kind and wonderful person and I had a wonderful relationship with her until the day she died.”

He added: “It's so sad that human scum, like these hopeless losers, are involved [movie]A political movement is allowed to say and do whatever it wants to hurt, which is bigger than any of us.”

Trump's threat to sue deterred some buyers at Cannes, but Briarcliff Entertainment eventually picked up the film for distribution in the US and Canada.

Asked about the sexual assault scene, Abbasi said: “My view is that it's important because it's a rift, a very important character point, the relationship between Donald and Ivana, and really it's the tragedy that matters, not the controversy.”

Asked about the research on Ivana Trump, Bakalova said: “It was nice to see a woman ahead of her time, she wanted to go into business with her. Yes, take care of the children too… But she was a businessman and I think she was influential. .”