(Maybe not: After Cannes, Trumps lawyersthreatened to sue.)
But make no mistake:The Apprenticeis a warning.
This is a movie, written by the journalist Gabriel Sherman, that will leave you chilled.
Jeremy Strong and Sebastian Stan (both in their own clothes) play Roy Cohn and Donald Trump in Ali Abbasi’sThe Apprentice, in theaters this Friday, October 11.
A lot of people have Trump fatigue, andThe Apprenticeis two hours of being deep in his company.
Jeremy Strong:This movie is very loaded, right?
Its hard to talk about it in a non-partisan way…
Photographed by Antonio Ysursa
It’s more those things than it is some political polemic.
And so its worth understanding where Trump came from and what he really is and believes.
You know, like, we may understand that Trump is a monster.
Photographed by Antonio Ysursa
And I guess I find that really interesting.
Antrim: Sebastian, what was going through your mind when you were asked to play Trump?
I mean, you know that youre playing with firehow could we not know that?
Photographed by Antonio Ysursa
But I dont think that had any impact on how we approached it as artists.
Malle: It had trouble getting distribution coming out of Cannes, and then Trumps lawyers threatened to sue.
Did you anticipate any of that?
Photographed by Antonio Ysursa
Stan:Of course, it seems kind of predictable that way.
But I didnt anticipate how hard it was to get the financing.
But then everyone was frankly scared to touch it.
Strong in a custom velet tuxedo and ribbon bow tie from Loro Piana at the 2024 Tony Awards.
I mean, it was actually a quite discomfiting film to watch for that reason.
Strong:I like to believe that we all have instincts towards other human beings.
Antrim: That was definitely my experience of it.
Stan wearing Valentino pink at the 2022 Met Gala.
Im thinking about when he’s knocking on doors, collecting rent, that kind of thing.
Strong:A lot of people didnt know that he did that.
Antrim: Tthe transformation that Sebastien achieves in this movie is uncanny.
Its the way he moves.
Malle: And you make him very appealing.
I mean, hes very seductive.
He comes across strong.
He comes across as protective of the country.
I mean those are qualities that we still see today.
Because I wasveryexcited to see his frog collection.
Strong:I mean, the frogs are really a stunner.
He had a kind of arrested development.
He was very infantilized, even in his adulthood.
And he lived in a consequence-less universe.
He is a grab bag of surprises.
And a kind of terrifying one.
He was going waterskiing most days of the year on the Hudson River.
Strong:He was at Studio 54.
Like, he was pumped.Andhe was a brilliant lawyer, and he represented everybody.
And everybody went to his parties on 68th Street.
And he was capable of the utmost ruthlessness.
And mendacity and brutality and remorseless destruction of peoples lives.
Malle: I loved the fashion in the movie.
Were you involved in those decisions?
Strong:Roy was incredibly vain.
You know, he did 200 sit-ups every morning.
He basically starved himself.
He weighed himself every day.
He maintained his weight.
I knew exactly what he weighed.
Malle: I have to say, at Vogue.com, we are big fans of your outfits.
We think that you have excellent style.
The youth at Vogue.com are big, big fans of Jeremy Strongs red carpet looks.
Strong in a custom velet tuxedo and ribbon bow tie from Loro Piana at the 2024 Tony Awards.
Strong:I mean…Thank you.
Its just accident and chance.
Im very intuitive, you know?
I only wore navy.
Malle: A couple of years!?
Strong:I only wore navy for a couple of years.
Malle: Good grief, okay.
Strong:I had a period as a child where I wore neon only.
Antrim: Oh yeah, I had one of those too.
Strong:You know, we all did.
But I appreciate and love clothes.
And then the rest is kind of like guided by instinct.
Sebastian, how would someone dress if they were playing you in a movie?
Stan:Just by wearing…black, I guess.
Michael Fisher is my stylist.
I tell him sometimes that I dont know if those sneakers work, but other than that…
Sometimes Im like, really, Michael?
I mean, you saw the whole pink thing that I wore two years ago at that Met Ball?
I mean, thats not what I would have worn, ever.
Stan wearing Valentino pink at the 2022 Met Gala.
Strong:I thought that was kind of dope.
How could youdothis?Anyway.
Malle: Well, were still talking about it!
