NEW YORK (AP) ā Even in an , most seem to agree on one aspect about Ali Abbasiās much-debated Donald Trump film Sebastian Stan is a remarkably good Trump and is chillingly riveting as the New York power broker Roy Cohn.
One reviewer recently wrote that Strongās portrayal of Cohn is āuncanny in its accuracy.ā The critic? Longtime Trump adviser .
Since in May, after which the Trump campaign , āThe Apprenticeā has been hounded by controversy. Its makers have had to , which, in opening Thursday, comes just weeks ahead of the election. The Trump campaign āelection interference by Hollywood elites.ā
āWeāre way out on a limb,ā Strong says.
The movie, about Cohnās mentorship of a young Trump in the greed-is-good 1980s, is a dramatic election-year provocation. Itās an origin story of the Republican nominee beginning with Cohn, the ruthless attorney whose tactics of deny-deny-deny made him a sought-after fixer for the mafia, chief counsel for Sen. Joseph McCarthyās communist witch hunt and a guru to Trump when he was trying to make a name for himself in New York real estate.
āHis defiance of reality, and his denial of reality, to me are the signature components of what he instilled in his star pupil,ā Strong says, noting that Cohnās boat was named Defiance. āItās a legacy of mendacity and lies and denialism and the aggressive pursuit of winning as the only moral measure.ā
āThe Apprentice,ā directed by the Iranian-Danish filmmaker Abbasi and scripted by Gabriel Sherman, puts the Cohn-Trump relationship at its center, and in doing so, gives Strong and Stan two of the best roles of their careers. Strong calls Cohn āprobably the single most fascinating person Iāve ever studied and interrogated and attempted to inhabit.ā
For two much-satirized figures, the performances are uncommonly humanistic. Cohn has a rich tradition of portrayals, including Al Pacino in Tony Kushnerās āAngels in America.ā But Strongās Cohn is uniquely authentic and camp-free. Trump, of course, has been mostly played with āSaturday Night Liveā-style parody. But Stanās Trump is a blank-slate striver, eager to be molded by Cohn. Abbasi says, āI still donāt know exactly how he did it.ā
Most actors wanted nothing to do with playing Trump. But Stan signed up, and stuck with the production over several years.
āI went on the ride,ā Stan says. āItās very easy to just keep doing things that you feel youāve gotten good at. Then something comes along and it feels like such a crazy mountain to climb.ā
That may go doubly for āThe Apprentice,ā a movie that cobbled together financing and struggled to find distribution before Briarcliff Entertainment stepped forward this fall. Sherman first began writing it in 2017. He had covered the 2016 Trump campaign for New York magazine and took note when a Trump associate commented on Trump employing Cohnās strategies.
Trump, who first met Cohn in 1973 and remained close friends until Cohnās death in 1986, has spoken about his admiration for him. āRoy was brutal, but he was a very loyal guy,ā Trump told author Tim OāBrien. āHe brutalized for you.ā Politicoās Michael Kruse in 2016 , writing: āCohnās philosophy shaped the real estate mogulās worldview and the belligerent public persona visible in Trumpās presidential campaign.ā
Strong had first been drawn to playing Cohn several years ago for a project that ultimately didnāt happen. But it got Strong thinking about the intriguing paradoxes of Cohn. If finding a character means finding their pulse, Strong says, āin this case, itās a sort of reptilian pulse.ā
āIn terms of a sociological, anthropological study, I find him to be a completely fascinating character,ā says Strong. āMy own judgments have to be left at the door. But it was like peering into the heart of darkness.ā
For the two actors, āThe Apprenticeā posed a particular challenge in balancing judgment and empathy. The film has engendered a spectrum of reaction. Abbasi has claimed Trump might not dislike the film and invited him to see it. Others have criticized the movie for bringing any degree of sympathy to its lead characters.
āThe only way we can learn is through empathy,ā Stan says. āWe have to protect empathy and continue to nourish it. And I think one way of nourishing empathy is showing what itās exact opposite can be.ā
ā(Cohn) didnāt believe in showing vulnerability,ā says Strong. āHe was only interested in projecting strength, and I find that very tragic.ā
Ultimately, the makers of āThe Apprenticeā argue that all of the tools of drama serve a vital role in bringing a deeper understanding to even the most polarizing political figures.
Strong and Stan find themselves in the unlikely position of being scorned by the potential future president for a movie that had to resort to seeking money via Kickstarter. (The campaign ) As much as theyāre far out on a limb, both are seen as
āDo I think itās going to change peopleās minds? Iām not sure,ā says Strong. āDo I think it will help anyone who sees this movie have a great understanding of the origins of where we are now? Yes, I do. And do I think it could infinitesimally move the needle in a direction that I hope we move in? I do.ā
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
