When a biopic pushes a co-star to refuse joint interviews with the lead actor, you know it's struck a nerve. Netflix's "The Apprentice" chronicles President Donald Trump's rise in 1970s New York. Sebastian Stan, who plays the young Trump, prepped for the role by watching 562 videos of him on repeat and constantly listening to his audio recordings. The result? Other cast members later declined to appear alongside him on Variety's online show.
"The Apprentice" follows how a real estate mogul's son steps out of his father's shadow to make a name for himself. In the film, Trump meets the notoriously controversial lawyer Roy Cohn, played by Jeremy Strong, who teaches him "the rules of the game"—attack, deny, always claim victory. This logic fuels Trump's rise in real estate and eventually his climb to power. The film also boldly depicts controversial episodes including affairs, discrimination and intimidation, spousal rape, and liposuction—which is exactly why it faced pushback during its US release, with Trump's legal team threatening to sue.
Rather than dodging the controversy, Sebastian Stan chose to explain his intentions behind taking on the film: "I think 'The Apprentice' offers a very three-dimensional look at his life and political career." He deliberately avoided playing Trump as a villain or an exaggerated comedic figure, instead building a flesh-and-blood young businessman from a mountain of research material. That choice earned him nominations from multiple critics' associations.
The film is directed by Iranian filmmaker Ali Abbasi, whose previous work "Holy Spider" also tackled highly controversial political subject matter. "The Apprentice" is up for two Golden Globe awards and has picked up nominations from several film associations. The movie is now streaming on Netflix—and beyond the title itself, the controversy surrounding it might just be its most honest marketing.
