Sebastian Stan takes on the role of Donald Trump in his latest film, Trainee.
The film, which was first announced back in 2018, reportedly follows a young Trump during the early days of his career in the 70s and 80s as he builds his real estate business in New York.
Described as “the story of a mentor and protégé,” the film features a cast portraying real-life figures from Trump’s inner circle, such as Roy Cohn, Ivana Trump and Fred Trump.
After its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2024, the film has already sparked much debate for its controversial moments, particularly from the Trump team. Steven Cheung, director of communications for the Trump campaign, revealed that they plan to file a lawsuit to “address the patently false claims of these fake filmmakers.”
In September 2024. Trainee the team launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for distribution. They reached their fundraising goal of $100,000 in less than 12 hours.
“Wow, we smashed our kickstarter goal in one day! Apparently people WANT to see #TheApprentice in theaters,” director Ali Abbasi wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
From the cast to the plot, here’s everything you need to know about it Trainee.
Who’s in the cast Trainee?
Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong.
Hoda Davaine/Dave Bennett/Getty; Mike Marsland/WireImage; Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
The film stars Sebastian Stan as a young Donald Trump during his early career in the 70s and 80s. Although Stan rose to fame playing Bucky Barnes in the Marvel Universe, he’s no stranger to playing controversial real-life figures, including Tommy Lee in the Hulu miniseries Pam & Tommy and Tonya Harding’s ex-husband Jeff Gillooly in I, Tonya.
The cast also includes Succession actor Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn, a prominent attorney known for being Senator Joseph McCarthy’s chief counsel during the 1954 Army–McCarthy hearings; Bodies Bodies Bodies actress Maria Bakalova as Ivana Trump, Trump’s first wife to whom he was married from 1977 to 1990; Weeds actor Martin Donovan as Fred Trump, Trump’s father who died in June 1999; and The Book of Eli actor Joe Pingue as Anthony Salerno, an American mobster who served as the underboss and first boss of the Genovese crime family in the early 80s.
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What is Trainee about?
According to the film’s official synopsis, “young Donald Trump, eager to make a name for himself as the hungry second son of a wealthy New York family in the 1970s, comes under the spell of Roy Cohn, a bloodthirsty lawyer who would help create the Donald Trump we know today.”
Is there a trailer for Trainee?
Briarcliff Entertainment has released the first official trailer for Trainee in September 2024.
The 90-second teaser begins with Trump’s first meeting with attorney Roy Cohn. The dimwitted lawyer then takes the eager Trump under his wing.
“How do you always win?” young Trump asks. “There are rules,” Cohn replies. “Rule one is attack, attack, attack. Rule two: Admit nothing, deny everything. Rule three. Claim victory and never admit defeat. You must be willing to do anything to anyone to win.”
Who directs Trainee?
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Director of ‘The Apprentice’ Ali Abbasi at the Cannes Film Festival.
Andreas Rentz/Getty
The film is directed by Ali Abbasi, who is best known for his international films Shelley, Border and Holy spider as well as directing two episodes The last of us season 1
When is it Trainee movie?
Filming of the project began in November 2023, when the roles of Stan, Strong and Bakalova were announced. The following month, people got their first glimpse of Stan in character as he filmed a scene in New York wearing Trump’s signature suit, tie and long black coat while wearing a wig.
The film reportedly wrapped production in early January 2024, and the first official image from the film was shared a few months later in April ahead of its Cannes debut.
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What is the controversy about? Trainee?
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Jeremy Strong and Sebastian Stan in ‘The Apprentice’.
PRINTICE PRODUCTIONS ONTARIO INC. / PROFILE PRODUCTIONS 2 APS / TAILORED FILMS LTD. in 2023
As the film made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 20, the film quickly made headlines for its shocking moments, including a scene showing Trump undergoing liposuction that reportedly “evoked audible gasps” from the audience, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Namely, the scene showing Trump raping his first wife Ivana caused controversy. Ivana once accused Trump of raping her in the late 80s during their divorce case, as The Daily Beast reported in 2015, although he later retracted that statement in 1993.
Despite its controversial moments, the film was met with an eight-minute standing ovation, with critics largely praising Stan’s portrayal of Trump without the character being too reminiscent of a parody.
What Donald Trump was talking about Trainee?
While Trump did not personally comment on the film, his team shared their thoughts. Shortly after the film premiered in Cannes, Steven Cheung, the Trump campaign’s communications director, said in a statement that they would “file a lawsuit to address the patently false claims of these fake filmmakers.”
“This garbage is pure fiction sensationalizing lies that have long been exposed,” Cheung added. “This ‘film’ is pure malicious slander, should never see the light of day, and doesn’t even deserve a spot in the direct-to-DVD section of the clearance bin at a soon-to-be-closed discount movie store. It belongs on a dumpster fire.”
Despite the threat of legal action, the filmmaker appeared unfazed at the film’s festival press conference on May 21, noting that “everyone talks about him suing a lot of people” but “they don’t talk about his success rate” with tracking through.
He added that he doesn’t “necessarily think this is a movie” that Trump wouldn’t like, but that he might be “surprised.” “Like I said before, I’d be happy to — I’d offer to go and meet him wherever he wants and talk about the context of the film, have a screening and talk afterwards, if any of the Trump campaign people here are interested in that,” he added.
When will Trainee be released?
The film had its world premiere at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2024. Trainee it is intended for in theaters October 11.
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Source: HIS Education