Donald Trump biopic releases first clip from controversial 'The Apprentice' film
The upcoming film "The Apprentice" is giving viewers a first look at Marvel star Sebastian Stan as a young Donald Trump.
On Tuesday, Briarcliff Entertainment shared a scene from the Ali Abbasi-directed biopic, which was met earlier this year by the threat of legal action from Trump's presidential campaign.
In the clip, "Succession" star Jeremy Strong plays Trump's infamous mentor – the late U.S. prosecutor Roy Cohn, who was disbarred right before his death at 59 in 1986 – who coaches the young businessman as he takes a phone interview with a reporter while the two men ride in the back of a car.
"I intend to acquire the Commodore, and I'm planning on making it the best and the finest building in the city, maybe the country — in the world, Judy, in the world," Stan says as Strong wordlessly encourages him to talk up his business deal more.
"It's going to be the finest building in the world. It's going to be a spectacular hotel, absolutely spectacular, first-class," Stan continues.
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"Listen, it's your life. You've got a ways to go, but you're learning," Strong says after promising the reporter to continue the interview in person.
The movie, which stars Maria Bakalova as Trump's first wife Ivana Trump, releases Oct. 11. It premiered internationally at the Cannes Film Festival in May before securing a North American premiere at Telluride Film Festival this past weekend and sports a 73% "fresh" rating based on 49 reviews accumulated by Rotten Tomatoes.
'The Apprentice' details 'obstacles' in releasing a film about Donald Trump
The film also launched a "Release The Apprentice" Kickstarter fundraiser, which is seeking $100,000 to support the movie's legal and campaign fees as well as promotional costs.
"The obstacles we have faced releasing this movie are well documented. Our distribution was blocked. We were hit with a cease and desist from Trump's lawyers. Major media companies were afraid to show you this movie," the fundraiser's description reads, in part. "Releasing this movie has become a DAVID and GOLIATH struggle, but with your support, you can help #ReleaseTheApprentice."
"The Apprentice" is described as "a candid portrayal of Donald Trump's rise to power" in the 1970s and '80s that "provides an unfiltered look at Trump's complicated and often unseemly journey."
"These legal threats have caused major media companies to shy away from distributing the film, fearing potential retribution if Trump is re-elected," the film's promoters state. "Despite this, the filmmakers are pursuing a grassroots, independent approach to distribution."
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Trump campaign calls 'The Apprentice' 'malicious defamation'
Following the Cannes premiere, a Trump campaign spokesman declared their intention to sue the filmmakers in a statement issued to multiple outlets.
"We will be filing a lawsuit to address the blatantly false assertions from these pretend filmmakers," Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, told Variety and Deadline. "This garbage is pure fiction which sensationalizes lies that have been long debunked."
Cheung added that the movie is "pure malicious defamation" and "should not see the light of day."
The film includes a scene where Trump rapes Ivana Trump, according to The Washington Post and The New York Times.
Ivana Trump once accused Donald Trump of rape during a divorce deposition but later walked her comments back.
According to The Daily Beast, she said in a statement included in the 1993 book "Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J. Trump" that in 1989, "Mr. Trump and I had marital relations in which he behaved very differently toward me than he had during our marriage. As a woman, I felt violated, as the love and tenderness, which he normally exhibited towards me, was absent. I referred to this as a 'rape,' but I do not want my words to be interpreted in a literal or criminal sense."
"Everybody talks about (Trump) suing a lot of people," director Ali Abbasi said in response to the Trump campaign's legal threat. "They don't talk about his success rate, though."
Abbasi went on to say he understands why the former president might assume the movie is "demeaning" and a "conspiracy" but that he should watch it for himself.
Contributing: Brendan Morrow