Sebastian Stan recently opened up about the preparation he did to portray former US president Donald Trump in the upcoming Ali Abbasi biographical drama film The Apprentice. Stan revealed that it involved extensive research, and he watched plenty of footage and documentaries to understand Trump’s rise so he could play the character effectively. However, he also admitted that he barely slept while preparing for the part. Read on further to know more details!
Sebastian Stan recently appeared on Today Show to discuss his latest black comedy psychological thriller, A Different Man. He also revealed how he prepared for the role of Donald Trump in the movie The Apprentice, expressing, “Well, [you] tried to get sleep, which I didn’t.”
The actor mentioned that there is a “lot of research out there” and footage, documentaries, and media coverage available, all of which have thoroughly documented Trump’s journey to becoming the figure we know today.
Stan explained that for him, the experience involved consistent practice, noting, “To me, it’s like playing an instrument. You sit at the piano, you get better at it with practice, and eventually, you can just kinda do it in your sleep.”
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According to the film’s official synopsis, it follows a young Donald Trump, eager to establish himself as the ambitious second son of a wealthy family in 1970s New York, falling under the influence of Roy Cohn, “the cutthroat attorney who would help create the Donald Trump we know today.”
In a previous interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Stan revealed that he wanted to be part of the film because he “respects” Abbasi’s bravery in addressing the discomfort surrounding the subject, saying, “Everything in this film happened. People perhaps like to forget that [Trump] was on Oprah and David Letterman and Larry King, and everybody embraced him and was championing him to be who he was in the eighties.”
The actor also told the publication that preparing for the role was challenging due to the movie’s many delays, which meant he often had to start and stop his research. Stan said he had more time than usual to research, but he felt anxious until he arrived on set and realized he wasn’t alone.
Sebastian Stan added, “I think trying to find the right prosthetics was really [daunting]. We had one test where I was like, ‘I think we’re going to die’ [because the prosthetics looked so bad]. And that was days from shooting.”
Meanwhile, Ali Abbasi’s film, The Apprentice, will be released in theaters on October 11, 2024.
