You may have heard of the Donald Trump biopic “The Apprentice,” which generated a lot of attention and controversy after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. Director Ali Abbasi’s 1970s-set film stars Sebastian Stan as Trump and Jeremy Strong as his mentor, New York City lawyer and ruthless power broker Roy Cohn, how about the man who works hard? (Maybe not: After the Cannes Film Festival, Trump’s lawyers threatened to sue.) When you watch “The Apprentice,” which opens in theaters Friday, you can’t help but be surprised and thrilled by Stan and Strong’s performances.
But make no mistake: The Apprentice is a warning. Written by journalist Gabriel Sherman, this is a film that will blow your mind. It’s the story of Trump’s rise, the lessons he learned from Cohen, and a portrayal of power at all costs – what it can drive someone to do and how it can corrupt them.
Askew invited Stan and Strong to The Run-Through with Askew to talk about their performances, the making of the film, and why Americans should see it before the election on November 5. The following is an excerpt from the conversation that Askum.com editor Chloe Malley and I had with the two actors in a podcast studio.
Tyler Antrim: With three weeks until the election, I want people to know why they should watch this movie. A lot of people are fed up with Trump and The Apprentice is like spending two hours with him.
Jeremy Strong: This movie is very powerful, isn’t it? It’s hard to talk about it objectively…but I think this movie has a lot in common with Midnight Cowboy, Boogie Nights and even Scarface. It’s more about those things than any political controversy.
You know, I read an article by Chicago journalist Sidney Harris in which he said, “History repeats itself, but in such a simple way that we don’t realize it until the damage is done. The parallels. I think the stakes are probably higher than they have been since the Civil War, so it’s important to understand where Trump is coming from, who he really is, and what he believes in.”
Antrim: I also want to make sure people understand how revolutionary this film is, it allows you to share the humanity of people you might otherwise ignore. You know, we might understand that Trump is a monster. Or we know that Roy Cohn is a monster, but this film gives you a glimpse into who he was as a human being.
Sabal: That’s why people feel very uncomfortable being approached in that way. It’s easy to think, they’re monsters… Why would I want to feel anything or have any empathy or understanding? I think it’s really interesting.
Antrim: Sebastian, what were you thinking when you were asked to play Trump? Because I think a lot of actors would say no, or be afraid, or be like, are you crazy?
Sebastian Stan: I think a lot of people said this movie was a great idea, and I started out thinking it was a great idea. And then I thought even better, well, it would be really exciting if the right person came along to play Roy Cohn – and obviously we found Jeremy. The director, Ali Abbasi, is Iranian and grew up in Copenhagen, and as an outsider from that perspective – that’s what interested me. He’s not playing for the blue team or the red team, he’s looking at it from the outside and I think we’ve gone a long way here.
Chloe Malley: Did you realize from the start that a Trump film would be controversial, dangerous, and difficult?
Qiang: Absolutely. I mean, you know you’re playing with fire — how could we not know that? But I don’t think it has any impact on how we as artists viewed it. I think we viewed it as a work and a film about these two people and their relationship.
Mellie: There was trouble getting released at the Cannes Film Festival and then Trump’s lawyers threatened to sue. Have you ever thought of that?
Stan: Of course, this is just speculation. But I didn’t expect financing to be so difficult.
Strong: Also, to be honest, I think I was hoping the movie would be shown at Cannes. But then everybody was afraid to touch it. I think they’re afraid of lawsuits and consequences, and they’re afraid of Trump, so now that it’s going to be on 1,500 screens this Friday or something like that, I think it’s something that people need to see.
Antrim: What I like most is that the film doesn’t have any kind of propaganda, or any simple message. I mean, that’s why this film is uncomfortable to watch.
Strong: I believe we all have intuition about other people. I think if you watch the film, you’ll see that it’s not just about Trump, it’s about learning about yourself through him.
Antrim: That’s definitely my experience. [To Stan:] What I find interesting is that your character, Trump, is someone you’re sympathetic to, if not at the beginning of the movie. I was thinking about him knocking on doors, collecting rent, that sort of thing.
Strong: A lot of people don’t know he did that.
Antrim: And then at the end of the movie, Jeremy, your character, Roy Cohn, becomes an incredibly tragic figure.
Strong: Yeah, in this case, the apprentice replaced the master, and that’s what happened historically. But I think, you know, what’s exciting and challenging is that these two monolithic people say they’re not monolithic. They’re human beings with a history and a past, and they’ve made choices and different things have shaped them, and let’s look at what those things are.
Antrim: The transformation that Sebastian has achieved in this film is amazing. It’s physical. It’s verbal. It’s just the way he moves.
Marley: You make him look attractive.
Strong: I mean, if you look at the Oprah show in 1988, he and Ivana were both on the show. I mean, he’s very charming. He’s very relatable. He seems strong. He seems like he wants to protect the country.’ I mean, these are qualities we still see today. I think when you go back further and you’re talking about someone who came up with ideas, I think what surprised me was the ability that I thought he had at one time. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with acknowledging it, because acknowledging it allows you to see what kind of people are out there – which is sad in some ways.
Marley: Jeremy, I want to know what was the most surprising thing to you about Roy Cohn. Because I was excited to see his frog collection.
SABEL: I mean, frogs are really cool. You know, his room was full of frog figurines and stuffed frogs, and he had a Mickey Mouse sign on his door that said “Roy.” He’s a little stunted in development. Even as an adult, he was still very childish. He lives in the universe without consequences. He was full of wonder. A little scary. So you could talk about him as a monster, but for Roy, he’s going to the circus and eating the bumblebee tuna that they prepare for him. He spends most of the year water skiing on the Hudson River.
I truly?
Strong: He was at Studio 54. Like, he was excited. He was a great lawyer and he represented everybody. Everybody goes to the 68th Street party. He’s capable of extreme cruelty. Lying, being cruel, ruthlessly destroying people’s lives.
Maley: I love the fashion in the movies. Were you involved in these decisions?
QIANG: Roy is very arrogant. You know, he did 200 sit-ups every morning. He basically starved himself to death. He weighs himself every day. He’s maintained his weight. I know exactly how much he weighs. It’s funny how much personality you lose if you wear the wrong cut suit. Wearing a perfectly fitted Dunhill suit, he displayed a certain muscularity that he considered his most unique feature – not that he was a muscular man, but that he had a cantankerous personality.
Male: I have to say, we at Askume.com are big fans of your outfits. We think your style is great. Askume.com is a big fan of young Jeremy Strong’s red carpet looks.
Qiang: I mean… thank you. It’s just a coincidence and a coincidence. I’m very comfortable, you know? I went through a phase of only wearing gray for a few years. I only wear navy blue.
Marley: Year!
Strong: I only wore navy for a few years.
Marley: Oh my god, okay.
Strong: There was a time in my childhood when I would only wear neon colors.
Antrim: Oh yes, I have one like that.
Strong: You know, we’ve all done that. But I admire and love the clothes. Then everything else comes down to intuition.
Marley: Sebastian, if someone played you in a movie, what would they wear?
Stan: I think, just wearing black shoes. Michael Fisher is my stylist. Sometimes I tell him I don’t know if these sneakers will work, but other than that…sometimes I think, really, Michael? I mean, did you see the pink dress I wore to the Met Ball two years ago? I mean, I never dress like that.
SABEL: I think it’s a bit silly.
Stan: I mean, it’s great, but my mom, even to this day… She has a neighbor from Italy and she’s like, you look horrible. How can you do that? Still.
Marley: Well, we’re still talking about it!
