Current:Home > InvestSafeX Pro:Donald Trump biopic releases first clip from controversial 'The Apprentice' film -Elevate Profit Vision
SafeX Pro:Donald Trump biopic releases first clip from controversial 'The Apprentice' film
Robert Brown View
Date:2025-04-10 16:08:03
The SafeX Proupcoming 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.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
"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."
'Hold On, I'm Comin' no more:Trump's campaign prohibited from using Isaac Hayes song
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
veryGood! (93493)
Related
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- The GOP platform calls for ‘universal school choice.’ What would that mean for students?
- Are bullets on your grocery list? Ammo vending machines debut in grocery stores
- The 15 craziest Nicolas Cage movies, ranked (including 'Longlegs')
- Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
- License suspension extended for 2 years for a trucker acquitted in a deadly motorcycle crash
- Fort Campbell soldier found dead in home was stabbed almost 70 times, autopsy shows
- Social Security recipients could see the smallest COLA increase since 2021. Here's what to expect.
- 'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
- Shark species can get kind of weird. See 3 of the strangest wobbegongs, goblins and vipers.
Ranking
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- 'Actions of a coward': California man arrested in killings of wife, baby, in-laws
- Summer House Star Paige DeSorbo Says This Deodorant Smells Like “Walking Into a Really Expensive Hotel”
- Health alert issued for ready-to-eat meats illegally imported from the Philippines
- Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
- Southwest adds flights to handle Taylor Swift hordes for fall Eras Tour shows in the U.S.
- Daisy Edgar-Jones Addresses Speculation Over Eyebrow-Raising Paul Mescal & Phoebe Bridgers Met Gala Pic
- 2 teenage suspects arrested in series of shootings across Charlotte, North Carolina
Recommendation
'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
Jana Kramer Shares Why She’s Walking Down the Aisle Alone for Allan Russell Wedding
Weather service says Beryl’s remnants spawned 4 Indiana tornadoes, including an EF-3
Bill Belichick hired as analyst for 'Inside the NFL'
'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
Seattle man sentenced to 9 years in federal prison for thousands of online threats
Multiple Chinese warships spotted near Alaska, U.S. Coast Guard says
Nicolas Cage’s Son Weston Arrested for Assault With a Deadly Weapon