The Cannes Film Festival premiere of ‘The Apprentice,’ director Ali Abbasi’s no-holds-barred biopic chronicling Donald Trump’s ascent, has sparked outrage and legal threats from the former president’s camp. However, Abbasi remains unfazed, even suggesting Trump may appreciate aspects of the controversial film.
Anchored by Sebastian Stan’s committed performance as the ruthlessly ambitious mogul, ‘The Apprentice’ doesn’t shy away from jarring dramatizations. This includes a scene depicting Trump raping his ex-wife Ivana, based on her later-retracted allegation from their turbulent divorce.
It’s this unflinching depiction that has drawn Trump’s ire. His legal team swiftly denounced “this garbage” as “pure fiction which sensationalizes lies long debunked” and vowed to sue the filmmakers for “malicious defamation.”
Despite the backlash, Abbasi expressed little concern about potential legal action during Cannes. “Donald’s team should watch the movie before they start suing us,” he calmly stated.
The Iranian-born Swedish director defends portraying the “human side” of his polarizing subject, suggesting Trump may find aspects to appreciate. “I don’t think it is a movie he would dislike,” Abbasi speculated. “I don’t necessarily think he would like it, but I think he’d be surprised.”
Abbasi argues the film illustrates how even “the most despicable monster” can display flashes of humanity – an angle he believes could intrigue the notoriously self-mythologizing Trump.
“If there’s an ideology to the film it’s a humanistic ideology,” Abbasi explained of the tale charting Trump’s Faustian pact with amoral fixer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong) to realize his bigly ambitions.
While early reviews have been mixed, with some critics deeming it a hollow provocation, the very existence of ‘The Apprentice’ represents an intriguing gambit for U.S. audiences.
With distribution still uncertain and legal battles looming, getting the uncensored Trump biopic into theaters could prove its own uphill battle reminiscent of the man’s own improbable rise.
Yet Abbasi seems undeterred by the controversies swirling around his opus, even joking that “the second debate” around Trump’s potential re-election bid in October 2024 “would be a good release date for us.”
Whether one views ‘The Apprentice’ as a daring exposé or misguided punchline, the film has already cemented its defiant place in the lore surrounding its larger-than-life subject.
