“The Apprentice” with Sebastian Stan
Donald Trump wants to take legal action against the film
© Frederic Legrand – COMEO/Shutterstock.com / DFree/Shutterstock.com
In Cannes, “The Apprentice” received a standing ovation and controversy. For Donald Trump, it only received the latter – and possibly a lawsuit.
The film “The Apprentice” just celebrated its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. It didn’t take long for a reaction from the USA to the film, in which Marvel star Sebastian Stan (41) embodies the young Donald Trump (77): As the US site “Variety” reportsTrump’s legal team is already planning to take legal action against the film by director Ali Abbasi (43).
Steven Cheung, spokesman for Trump’s presidential campaign, is quoted as saying: “We will be filing a lawsuit to address the blatantly false claims made by these alleged filmmakers.” According to Cheung, the content of the alleged biopic is “pure fiction that sensationalizes lies that have been demonstrably refuted.” Since “The Apprentice” is, from the Trump side’s point of view, a defamatory work, it should “never see the light of day.”
“The Apprentice” has the same title as Trump’s former reality TV format, in which he was a juror looking for the titular trainee for his real estate company. In addition to Stan, the film also stars “Borat” star Maria Bakalova (27) as Trump’s ex-wife Ivana Trump, who died in 2022, and “Succession” star Jeremy Strong (45) as Trump’s lawyer Roy Cohn.
Applause and controversy
At the premiere in Cannes the film received according to Variety A standing ovation from the audience for over eight minutes. At the same time, however, the site also reports that one scene in particular caused great controversy among viewers. Accordingly, there is non-consensual sex between Donald and Ivana Trump, during which he violently pushes his wife to the ground.
It is therefore not surprising that Trump, in the middle of the election campaign for a second presidential election, is keen to keep the controversial film out of cinemas. Especially since “The Apprentice”, which is in competition for the Palme d’Or, apparently puts him in a bad light in many other ways – for example by depicting pill addiction and liposuction.
An official theatrical release for “The Apprentice” has not yet been announced.