Escuchar
It’s natural to feel nervous before presenting a film at a festival. But in late August, when director Ali Abbasi boarded a flight to the Telluride Festival, he wasn’t even sure if his new film The apprenticea fictional look at the Machiavellian bond between young Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) and lawyer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), was going to be shown.
“It was really crazy what happened, and I spared Jeremy and Sebastian some of that, but it’s a demoralizing feeling,” Abbasi admitted. The former US president had threatened legal action against The apprentice since its debut in May at Cannes, which cooled distributor interest for months and made it a controversial choice for any festival.
Jeremy Strong (Roy Cohn) and Sebastian Stan (Donald Trump), in a scene from The Apprentice, Ali Abbasi’s film that hits theaters this ThursdayDiamond Films
In the end, Trump did not follow through with his threats, Telluride screened the film without incident and The apprentice It finally found a distributor: in Argentina it opens this Thursday the 24th. Even so, Strong was disturbed by so many major studios that did not want to take charge of the film and potentially provoke the wrath of the presidential candidate.
“You think you can ban things in North Korea or Russia or certain places, but you don’t think that happens here in the United States,” Strong said. “It’s a really dark omen that it almost happened,” he added.
Written by Gabriel Sherman, The apprentice begins with Trump, at age 20, as he works hard for his father, a real estate magnate, and aspires to be a figure in his own right. However, Trump’s ambition surpasses his ability until he meets the cunning Cohn, who takes the young man under his wing and imparts unforgiving rules for success that will launch Trump to the highest stage imaginable.
The apprentice could be a key awards season player for Stan — best known as Marvel super soldier Bucky Barnes — and Strong, the actor from Successiona series for which he won an Emmy; He also has a Tony for An enemy of the people. But will the politically charged fervor around the film help or hurt its candidacy?
The Apprentice, directed by Ali Abbasi, arrives in Argentine cinemas this ThursdayDiamond Films
“This is the crazy thing: I don’t think this movie is controversial,” Abbasi said. “It is a repetition of information that is available and is verified and triple-checked. So my big question is, what is the problem?”
Here are edited excerpts from our conversation:
-At first, Sebastian, you portray Trump as a more mellow and embarrassed man than we are used to seeing him.
Stan: –I watched the Netflix docuseries again, Trump: An American Dream and pay attention to all the early footage of him in front of a committee wearing a giant ’70s yellow tie and trying to find the right words. Watch him in the courtroom when he’s with Roy hoping to get the tax cut: He’s a dreamy kid who’s doing his best to hold his head high and feign confidence. We have to stop talking about him as if he were a being from outer space.
Abbasi: -It can also be read as the transformation of a monster. But there is another version, which is this human tragedy: Were there other possibilities for these people if their world was not reduced to winning and taking?
“Ali is not making The Great Dictator; it is not a farce, it is not a caricature. We are trying to hold a mirror up to this world and these individuals and try to understand how we got here,” says Jeremy StrongDiamond Films
Strong: –I see it 100% as a human tragedy, the same way I saw Succession as a tragedy of capitalism in its final phase. With the series, we were at a party at Adam McKay’s (producer of Succession) on election night 2016, and we had our first script reading the next morning. Then Trump was elected, and that changed the entire content of the show and the way it was communicated to the country. There is an idea that applies to both, something Jung said: “Where love is absent, power fills the void.” What’s exciting about this movie is that it hits the third rail of all of these things, something that frankly doesn’t happen in many jobs these days. The world is on fire, and much of our business is increasingly leaning toward content about folding laundry and relatively safe things.
-Some people, without having seen it, have accused the film of “humanizing” Trump. What is your response to that?
Strong: –It is an interrogation and a humanistic investigation of these people. Ali is not doing The great dictator; It is not a farce, it is not a caricature. We are trying to hold a mirror up to this world and these individuals and try to understand how we got here.
Abbasi: –I think it’s dangerous to start thinking, “Oh, you humanize someone too much.” Why would that be a problem?
-With independent films, there is always the risk that it will never be widely seen. And this one ran the risk of never being seen.
Abbasi: –I come from Iran and I’m used to dictators and authoritarian governments, but I always thought that whatever flaws American society has, freedom of speech is not one of the problems.
The Apprentice. Directed by Ali Abbasi, with Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong, Maria BakalovaDiamond Films
Strong: -We live in a binary era. There is black and white thinking and a real inability to contain complexities or dualities, and that is part of what has gotten us into social problems.
-Sebastian, what did your environment say when you told them that you were going to play Trump?
Stan: -I’m pretty sure my mother said, “At least you’re going to shave.” But I asked a lot of people about it. A studio executive told me not to do it because it would alienate half the country, and a casting director I respect a lot said, “We don’t need another Trump movie, no one is going to applaud you for it.” And then there were other people who said, “Are you going to worry about your safety?” But for some reason, every time someone said, “Don’t do it,” it made me want to do it more.
-What’s good about it coming out so close to the elections?
Abassi: -For me, this would be as relevant in December or January 2025 as it is now. In that way, I don’t think we need elections to make ourselves relevant, but aren’t I excited that we’re in an interaction with the back of the dragon? I’d be lying to you if I wasn’t.
“It’s not just about what you’re learning about Trump, but also what you’re learning about yourself from Trump,” says Sebastian Stan.Diamond Films
Strong: -It is a must-see film for any conscious being who cares about what is happening in this country, and I think it offers a vital perspective that could change things in a real way. In this moment when we are surrounded by rhetoric of hate and division, I believe that art has a place and film has a place.
Stan: -I worry that people are desperate for answers and guidance. They want to be told how to feel, they want to be told what is right and what is wrong. All of this discomfort with the film only reflects why it’s important: It’s not just about what you’re learning about Trump, but also what you’re learning about yourself because of Trump. I’m worried that we’re not going deeper in the way we approach things. We’re just reading Wikipedia pages. But the rest of us, at least, are going to try to get to the bottom of some things.
The New York TimesAccording to the criteria of
