Donald Trump finally speaks out apprenticeThe independent biopic, released this weekend, follows the future 45th president (played by Sebastian Stan) in the 1980s with the help of bulldog lawyer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong). The rise of New York real estate in the 1990s.
Let’s just say he wasn’t excited about it.
“A fake and unclassic movie about me called ‘The Apprentice’ (do they even have the right to use that name without approval?), hoping to ‘bomb,'” Trump said Sunday night. An article was posted on “Truth Social”. “This is a cheap, slanderous and politically disgusting troll attempt to harm the greatest political movement in our country’s history, launched ahead of the 2024 presidential election, ‘Make America Great Again!'”
Trump’s lashing also referenced the film’s depiction of his late ex-wife Ivana (played by Maria Bakalova). in a shocking apprentice At the scene, Trump raped Ivana on the floor of his home. (This scene is based on a divorce testimony that Ivana later denied.)
“My ex-wife Ivana was a kind and wonderful person, and I had a great relationship with her until the day she died. The author of this piece of crap, Gabe Sherman, was a man who came from humble beginnings. , a talentless hacker who has long been widely discredited, who knows this but chooses to ignore it. Sadly, human scum, like those involved in this hopefully unsuccessful enterprise, can say anything. What they want to do is hurt a political movement that is much bigger than any of us! MAGA2024 he wrote.
Trump’s wish for ‘unsuccessful businesses’ may have come true because apprentice, The film had a long and rocky road to release, including attempts by Trump to halt it, but it underperformed at the box office on its opening weekend. The film, distributed by Tom Ortenberg’s Briarcliff Entertainment, grossed $1.6 million from 1,740 screens, barely cracking the top 10.
Screenwriter Sherman, 45, interviewed hollywood reporter Just days before the movie was released and before Trump made his insulting remarks.
You’ve accomplished what many journalists have always dreamed of doing: you’re a great screenwriter.
This movie went through so many different lives that I didn’t even believe it was going to be made until the first day of principal photography. Shortly before production, it looked like we couldn’t even make payroll and the movie was going to collapse. So I never take this movie for granted.
Is this your first attempt at screenwriting?
This is my first work. When I came up with the idea for this film in the spring of 2017, I was in the process of adapting my biography of Roger Ailes into a limited series for Showtime, starring Russell Crowe. So I started working in television at the time, but I really had no experience writing feature films. I learn as I go.
Has the script been reported?
I did it. I read everything about Donald Trump, Roy Cohn, and New York City in the 1970s and 1980s. Then I went out and interviewed people who knew Donald and Roy over the years and asked them for more anecdotes. So it’s a combination of historical research plus my own interviews
I think I was first introduced to Roy Cohn through angels in america. He is a fascinating, complex, and contradictory figure in American history. What do you think of him?
Well, I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but there was a huge gap in my cultural education because I didn’t see angels in america Or read the script before writing it. My knowledge of Roy Cohn was really through news reports and articles about Donald Trump and understanding Roy’s influence on Trump. The version of Roy I wanted to write was a quieter, more restrained, more threatening version.
What drives him? Is he evil?
I think there’s a deep nihilism at the core of Roy Cohn’s character. I think it can manifest as evil, but I don’t think he’s evil per se. I think he became evil because he hated himself so much. There is a humanity deep inside Roy that is hard to see, but as a writer I try to find it. I try to find the humanity in the monster. I find that part of the reason our culture is so polarized is that we no longer try to understand those with whom we may disagree.
Roy grew up in an era when being openly gay and hoping to have a successful career was out of the question. He had to destroy a side of himself that I think made him feel nihilistic. The world is so unfair that anything can be rationalized. So I think he rationalized his behavior, which was completely unethical, because he felt like the whole world was screwed. “The world is a mess. So even if I break the rules it doesn’t matter. I think it’s a tragedy. I think the movie explores elements of Roy Cohn’s tragedy, and Jeremy Strong’s performance is outstanding.
Cohen and Trump are two of the most maligned and hated figures in American history. Yet I found myself sympathizing with both of them in certain scenes. Are you worried that you’re humanizing them too much?
I can only write what I feel is true. So when I was writing the script, I just wrote these characters that fit the research that I had done. This is a love story. Roy loved Donald on so many levels. Their relationship has a father-son dynamic. I also think there was a homosexual undercurrent to their relationship. One thing I discovered in my research was that many of Roy’s boyfriends—starting with Russell Eldridge, who plays the character in the movie—were blond, blue-eyed, stereotypically American-looking young men. The resemblance between them and a young Donald Trump struck me. I think Roy is in love with Trump. There is no evidence he ever took action.
let’s talk apprentice Director Ali Abbasi’s interpretation. I saw someone comparing this movie to scarface. There’s definitely a gonzo, exaggerated approach to the material. This is not a boring biopic.
When I wrote the film, my inspiration was not the biopic itself, but the classics of New York cinema. I wanted it to feel like a New York movie. midnight cowboy or doggy day afternoonobviously godfather, French connection and taxi driver. I think Ali had a brilliant idea and he wanted the film to expose the corrupt system that is endemic to American culture. One of his references is Barry Lyndon. He liked Kubrick, and he often talked about the young Donald Trump as a Barry Lyndon-like character. Another thing we talked about is this movie has a Boogie Nights Give it energy.
So immediately after the film premiered in Cannes, Trump supporters began attacking it and threatening lawsuits. What was that experience like?
The Trump campaign sent us a cease-and-desist letter the day after the premiere. But they issued a statement on premiere night saying: “This is all lies and we will sue.” This is life imitating art. In the movie, Roy Cohn tells Trump that his first lesson was to attack. So what do they do? They continued their attack. As far as I know, no one has seen the film, and Trump himself has not yet seen it, although we have offered to screen it for him.
We talked about Jeremy Strong, but we haven’t talked about Sebastian Stan, and I think he did a really great job of evoking him rather than imitating him. Who comes to your mind when you write?
I didn’t have a specific actor in mind, but I was disappointed because early on in casting we did get some top actors who were still unknown and they inherited the role. They all wanted to work with Ali. But some of them said, “I can’t play Trump. It’s too risky.” Or, “I don’t want to give my humanity to Trump, but Ali, I want to work with you on your next movie.” “In 2019, Sebastian read the script and was immediately interested in the role. He and I had dinner in New York and discussed it, and he was obviously nervous about playing Trump, but he did it Some miracles.
I’m worried that this character will become a two hour version saturday night live. What Sebastian does is, I can’t even explain how he does it, but it’s not a parody. Like you said before, I feel like I’m right in front of Trump.
