"Fake and classless", a "cheap, defamatory, and politically disgusting hatchet job" that is ultimately a "pile of garbage". So reads one review of new biographical drama The Apprentice, the latest film from director Ali Abbasi (Holy Spider, The Last of Us), which focuses on Donald Trump's career in the '70s and '80s.
The verdict comes from none other than the controversial subject of the movie itself, Trump, who went on a tirade on his platform Truth Social, completely slamming the critically acclaimed drama.
Releasing just weeks before the US presidential election, in which Trump is vying for success once more, the businessman accuses the film of timing its theatrical release in an attempt "to try and hurt the greatest political movement in the history of our country". However, the filmmakers behind The Apprentice insist that this certainly isn’t the case, with the impeccable timing simply being a pure coincidence.
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Speaking to 12DOVE on the red carpet at the BFI London Film Festival premiere of his movie, writer Gabriel Sherman emphasizes that it wasn't the original intention to release the film now. However, the screenwriter – who Trump calls a "lowlife and talentless hack" – tells us that although The Apprentice wasn't originally planned to be politically charged, he hopes that it does now play a role in the election moving forward.
Sherman states: "It wasn't written to come out before the election. We have been trying to make this film on and off for about five or six years now, so the stars aligned. It wasn't written to influence politics but I'm happy that there is that urgency, as I want Americans – well, the whole world, but especially American audiences – to see this movie and then decide who they want to be president. It's a very important character study."
Becoming Trump
One of the reasons it took so long for The Apprentice to reach our screens is because people were afraid to become involved due to its boldness. That wasn't helped by the fact Trump himself attempted to block the movie's release, repeatedly threatening legal action – something he isn’t looking at stopping anytime soon.
It put off many actors from considering the lead role of Trump, with Marvel star Sebastian Stan eventually stepping into the tycoon's shoes. That worked out for the best though, with Stan receiving universal praise for his incredible performance, completely transforming into the young real estate businessman.
Writer Sherman admits that at first he was unsure how Stan would portray Trump, knowing him best as Bucky Barnes in the MCU. However, the actor simply transformed in front of his eyes, telling us: "He disappears right, it's crazy. So many actors said no, they were too scared to do the role. He was from the very beginning courageous. But he's in the Marvel movies and he's such a handsome guy – I was like, 'How does this guy become Trump?' But the minute we started filming, he just disappeared, and I forgot it was Sebastian."
Your body is like an instrument, it’s adapting to a way of speaking and mannerisms that at first feel unnatural, and then become organic over time.
Sebastian Stan
For the actor himself, the role was certainly challenging, but one he completely dedicated himself to. During pre-production, Stan studied Trump's voice, practiced how his mouth moved, and spoke to people whilst wearing an earphone, listening to how the former president speaks. It was a long process, as was the exercise of getting out of the role too, with Stan telling 12DOVE and other media on the red carpet that that part took just as much time as it did to get into character.
He reveals: "Anytime you are spending a significant amount of time trying to understand someone emotionally, but also trying to inhabit their skin, watching them, listening to them, you are learning. Your body is like an instrument, it’s adapting to a way of speaking and mannerisms that at first feel unnatural, and then become organic over time, when you’re not thinking about them. And then there's a mindset that you adopt as well. As much time as you put into that, is as much time as it takes to go out."
A love story
Stan's co-star Maria Bakalova, who was Oscar-nominated for her breakout role in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, was just as dedicated in her approach to portraying Ivana Trump, his first wife. In fact, Bakalova was so committed she even went to her first audition dressed as the Czech-American businesswoman, as she tells 12DOVE: "When we started the movie, Ivana is 27 and when I met Ali [Abbasi] I was 26, which is not a huge difference, only a year.
"But when I was looking at pictures of her, she was so feminine, so woman-like. I was like, 'Oh god, me with my baggy jeans, no hair, no make-up, how am I going to be seen like this woman?' I tried my best to portray her in real life, which was challenging because it was during the day in New York City, I’ve never met Ali before, and I was thinking, 'Is he going to think this creature, this human being, walks like this in real life?' But you take the risk and you try your best to get a chance."
Bakalova clearly succeeded as she won the part, delivering a fierce turn as Ivana who becomes a force of nature butting heads not only with Trump, but his lawyer Roy Cohn too, who is brilliantly played by Jeremy Strong. Whilst The Apprentice does depict the romance and ultimate fallout between Ivana and Trump, the love story at the heart of the movie actually exists elsewhere – between Trump and Cohn.
We see how Cohn becomes a mentor to Trump, with the pair corrupting each other in their pursuit of power. Their dedication to Cohn’s three rules of business – claim victory, never admit defeat, and attack, attack, attack – paves a destructive path. It’s a passionate affair, which is why Sherman sees The Apprentice as a "love story" telling us: "I wanted to try and tell a human story, a coming-of-age story, it’s a sort of love story between these two men. I didn’t want it to be a two-dimensional cartoon where they are just bad people. My mission statement was to try and write them as real people."
As Sherman notes there, The Apprentice isn't an all-out criticism of Trump, as it attempts to show several sides to the divisive businessman. However, some have criticized the movie for taking a sympathetic approach to Trump, with him being one of the most controversial figures in recent history.
So, what do the filmmakers make of these claims? For Bakalova, she believes that the film sheds more light on Trump’s background, helping audiences understand how he became the figure we know today. It’s then up to the audience to decide how they feel about this, as she concludes: "It’s definitely helping you understand and feel for this person, whatever you want to feel. It might be something that is close to empathy, close to pity, or close to embarrassment. It makes you feel something, it makes you understand these people a little more, and how powerful it is to have people that can change your point of view and influence your life."
The Apprentice is out now in theaters worldwide. For more on what to watch, check out the rest of our Big Screen Spotlight series.
