Donald Trump describes film as 'fake and classless'
American actor Sebastian Stan plays Trump in " The Apprentice " which focuses on Trump's younger years as a real estate mogul in New York. The former president threatened to take legal action against the producers, describing the film as "fake and classless". 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" - Trump was starting to make a name for himself as a businessman in New York
"The Apprentice" is set in the 1970s and 80s, when Trump was starting 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 Jeremy Strong), who instilled 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 " by far the most challenging thing I've ever done" and acknowledged the difficulties of finding a distributor after the film's release in May.
"When I went to the Cannes [film festival] and I got a standing ovation and everyone was so happy and flattering, I was thinking it's going to be a bidding war, I want to go with Warner or Netflix, whoever wants to choose? But contrary to the director's expectations, Abbasi said he then found that " it was extremely difficult for us to get a distributor" — likely because of Trump's threat to sue.
The film is expected to be released before the November 5 US elections
"The Apprentice" finally opened in the US last week, but has so far struggled at the box office there. It received its UK premiere at the London Film Festival on Tuesday night, ahead of its UK release on Friday.
Abassi confirmed that he wants to make sure the film is released before the November 5 US election, where Trump will face off against Kamala Harris, so he can be part of the conversation.
Abassi explains why he wants the film's immediate release
"The choice is either to release this potentially in a Trump presidency, or after the election, whichever way, or to do it now," Abbasi said.
The film received mixed reviews
The film could have an impact on some voters. "In a small way, I think it might move the needle on how people feel [about] or perceive it, but the film is not a political act, it's a story ," Jeremy Strong said. The film received mixed reviews and there was debate as to whether it could enter the Oscar race.
The outcome of the election could be a key factor in whether or not the film is nominated, noted Vanity Fair's Richard Lawson. "If Trump wins the election, I don't think [awards voters] will want anything to do with this movie ," Lawson said on the Little Gold Men podcast. "There would have to be a Harris victory for people to say, ' OK, we've defeated evil again, now we can go back and reconsider our younger lives from a safer distance.'
Trump's personality was shaped by Cohn
If the film makes it into the Oscar race, it could see Strong in direct competition with his former co-star Kieran Culkin in the supporting actor category. Marvel star Stan avoids portraying Trump as a caricature villain in the film or in the exaggerated, comical way Trump is often portrayed by impressionists.
Instead, The Apprentice acts as a more serious character study of how Trump's personality was shaped by Cohn. The fact that Trump is played without the usual voice, gestures and features that actors often use makes his gradual evolution over the course of two hours that much more effective. " Some may want The Apprentice to move on ," said Katie Walsh of the LA Times in her review. "Humanize Trump."
"I think Trump should be grateful, to be honest!"
By the end of the film, Cohn's influence on Trump can be clearly seen. For younger audience members who have only come to know Trump in the past decade, the film may prove enlightening. Stan reflected, " They [Trump and Cohn] are very complex individuals, and that's how it is in life, nobody is completely morally right or perfect in any way, everybody has flaws and there are some redeeming qualities to them."
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