Sebastian Stan, who stars as a young Donald Trump in the 2024 biographical drama film “The Apprentice,” thinks the president isn’t as big of a hater toward the movie as he claims to be.
“I would put money down he’s seen it 100 fucking times, of course, because he’s a narcissist,” said the actor in a Vanity Fair cover story.
“And I bet you there’s certain things he likes about it.”
He continued, with a smile, “[Like] how he looked.”
Stan — who was nominated for both an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his performance in the film — responded to Trump’s attacks on the movie, which he described as “a cheap, defamatory, and politically disgusting hatchet job” on his Truth Social platform less than a month before the election.
The Ali Abbasi-directed film looks at Trump’s time as a real estate developer in the ’70s and ’80s, as well as his relationship with lawyer Roy Cohn (played by Jeremy Strong, who also received an Oscar and Golden Globe nod).
Trump’s attorneys reportedly sent a cease-and-desist letter to those behind the film last year, and a campaign spokesperson threatened to sue over the film despite no lawsuit being filed in the months since.
Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images
Stan has previously indicated that he’s seen pushback from Hollywood over the movie.
He told “Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon in December that an unnamed studio executive advised him against the role, which inspired him more to eventually take the part.
Following the election, Stan also revealed that he was invited to be part of Variety’s “Actors on Actors,” a video series that sees Hollywood stars interviewing one another.
But other actors, he said, were “too afraid” to discuss Trump with him.
Stan’s “Captain America” co-star Chris Evans told Vanity Fair that the actor taking on “The Apprentice” role didn’t shock him, noting that he has “always been really fearless.”
“You can see that in his choices. He takes big swings,” Evans stressed.
“When that Trump movie was kicking around, I remember thinking, ‘I wonder who is going to take this job? It’s just got so many strings attached to it.’ And I was so unsurprised when I heard it was Sebastian.”
As far as whether Stan thought he’d face retribution from Trump ahead of the Academy Awards in March, the actor told the outlet that he wasn’t trying to sweat it unless he won the Oscar, which he found to be a “0.0000%” chance.
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