Sebastian Stan, who played a young Donald Trump in the biopic “The Apprentice,” revealed Thursday that an unnamed studio CEO was one of the critics who helped him land the role.
Stan appeared on ‘The Tonight Show’ and told host Jimmy Fallon that his desire to play Trump became stronger after having dinner with the executive.
“He said, ‘Don’t do that. You’ll alienate half the country. You’re Bucky Barnes,’” said Stan, who played Barnes/Winter Soldier in the 2014 superhero film “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” I recalled. “Stan said, “And I thought, ‘I know, he’s brainwashed too.’”
Stan’s appearance on “The Tonight Show” aired the same day Variety unveiled the latest lineup for “Actors on Actors,” a popular video series featuring Hollywood stars interviewing each other.
Two weeks after the election, Stan revealed that he had been invited to participate in the series because other actors were “too afraid” to discuss director Ali Abbasi’s film, which depicts Trump’s years as a real estate developer in the 1970s and 1970s. The same goes for her relationship with lawyer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong) in the 80s.
His lawyer reportedly sent a cease-and-desist letter to “The Apprentice” producers in May, and Trump campaign spokesman Stephen Cheng also threatened to sue the film. No lawsuit was filed.
Variety’s co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh later confirmed that the publication had invited Stan, but that the other actors “didn’t want to talk about” Trump.
Hollywood’s apparent refusal to discuss Trump with Stan caught the attention of social media users on Thursday, who called out actors who eventually took part in the variety series, including Kamala Harris supporters Ariana Grande, Colman Domingo and Demi Moore.
