Not long after Ali Abbasi’s Donald Trump origin movie hits theaters apprentice After the film’s world premiere in Cannes, Trump’s legal team sent a cease-and-desist letter to the film’s producers.
But with the film finally set to hit U.S. theaters on Friday through Tom Ortenberg’s Briarcliff Entertainment and Rich Spirit, the Trump team appears to be staying relatively silent on the project.
Although Trump campaign spokesman Steven Chang condemned the film in a statement, the former president has not made any new legal threats against the film, at least according to reports, either on Truth Social or other sites. made headline statements about the film.
When asked about the possibility of future Trump threats apprenticeAt a New York premiere held just over a block from Trump Tower, director Ali Abbasi stood by his stance on the film, doubting Trump’s team would sue.
“I doubt they have the guts [to come after the film],” Abbasi told hollywood reporter. “I don’t think so, because they know we’re right. They know there’s nothing to sue for. They know things are accurate and double, triple, quadruple checked journalistically and legally. There’s nothing there, you know .
But he remained dismissive of future threats: “I mean, come on. That’s what I told them.
The screening took place at the DGA Theater in New York, with stars Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong and Maria Bakalova in attendance; writer Gabriel Sherman; producer Daniel Beckman; executive producer Amy Bell, and even former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, who walked the red carpet and addressed the press.
Cohen told THR He was invited by Sherman, an old acquaintance, and said he’d be interested in seeing the movie and offered some insight into how Trump might respond publicly to the film.
“It all depends… on what the comment is. If the comment is harsh to him, he’s going to respond,” Cohen told THR. “You know, what he doesn’t want to do is fuel discussion about something that he doesn’t want to be released from. The more he talks about it, the more exposure he gets to the film, and obviously the more people are going to want to see it. As As Donald always tells you, sometimes bad press is also positive press.
The film focuses on the relationship between Trump (Stein) and New York power broker Roy Cohn (Strong) when Trump was a budding real estate tycoon in the 1970s and 1980s, showing Cohn How to shape Trump into what he wants.
Cohen said he “absolutely” saw the impact of Cohen’s influence while working for Trump.
“The level of loyalty you need to provide is something you don’t see in other companies,” Cohen said. “As asked, I gave. I do know that Roy Cohn told him that.
Although the film is set to be released less than a month before the 2024 election, the filmmakers insist it is not a political hit piece but a nuanced portrait of the Republican presidential candidate’s early career .
But when asked what they hope voters take away from the film, Beckman said he hopes it gives them a “new perspective.”
“I really hope that this movie does give people a new perspective on things that people have shut down their brains about because they’ve formed very strong opinions in some way and they don’t really look at it anymore. It. I think this movie really offers a new way of looking at it that is really a humanistic storytelling lens through which we look at this, these characters,” he told Heart rate. “As Ali directed, the actors gave their characters the respect they deserve by connecting with them as human beings, rather than just portraying them as cartoons, which, frankly, most media portrays them as. God, new perspectives bring new potential, which I think is valuable at any time, but especially now.
At the same time, Abbasi urged people to “look at it with an open mind.”
While he emphasized the film’s entertainment factor more than its electoral impact, he insisted now was the right time.
“I think it’s a trip. I think it’s an experience. I think it’s actually really fun. I love the soundtrack. And the amazing performances. So, not everything is about being for or against Donald Trump. Related,” he said. “It happens before the election because it’s the biggest event. If I said, ‘Oh, there’s a chance I’m going to do this, but I’m not going to do this,’ I’d be crazy because this is so much about running for president. role. I’m not going to tell you how to vote. But if you’re wondering what kind of character he is, if you’re wondering how he got to where he is now, we have some answers for you.
