‘The Apprentice’, which traces former US President Donald Trump's rise as an ambitious young property developer in 1970s and 1980s New York, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival recently. The film sparked controversy as it depicts Donald Trump raping his wife. Trump's team has vowed to sue the producers, calling the film ‘garbage’ and ‘pure malicious defamation’.
Now, Ali Abbasi, the director of the explosive biopic, has defended the controversial scene, telling AFP the alleged incident is ‘well known’ and sheds light on the ex-president's character.
‘This particular thing is very well known. This incident, Ivana Trump said it under deposition, under oath,’ said the filmmaker.
In reality, Ivana made the accusation during divorce proceedings but later withdrew it. She died in 2022.
When asked about the inclusion of the scene, Abbasi said the movie is ‘about how, point by point, bit by bit, (Trump) distances himself from those human relationships that define him and that hold him in check as a human being. Ivana's relationship is super-important, obviously. Ivana is someone who is very close to him.’
Sebastian Stan, known for Marvel superhero films, portrays Trump, while Jeremy Strong from ‘Succession’ plays his ruthless mentor, attorney Roy Cohn. Both received praise from critics.
The film includes unflattering scenes of Trump experiencing erectile dysfunction and undergoing liposuction and hair loss surgery
Overall, the film offers a nuanced portrayal, depicting Trump as an ambitious but naive social climber whose decency deteriorates as he learns the dark arts of dealmaking and power.
‘A lot of the behavior and personality is much more relatable than we want to admit,’ Stan told AFP.
Abbasi suggested that ‘Donald's team should wait to watch the movie before they start suing us.’
‘I don't necessarily think this is a movie that he would dislike... I think he would be surprised,’ he said.
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