In The Apprentice, Sebastian Stan explored now-president-elect Donald Trump’s formative years and playing him, in his view, was the “hardest thing” he ever did.
“This film has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” the Marvel star told Variety‘s Awards Circuit Podcast. “Not just because of the complexities of playing Trump, but because of the reaction it provokes.”
The Gloden Globe winner also reflected on the response he received from Hollywood when he agreed to play the businessman-turned-politician.
“I had people telling me not to do it,” adding, “They said it might alienate people, that I didn’t look like him, that it was too dangerous. But for me, acting is about going toward the uncomfortable… about trying to understand humanity, even in the darkest places.”
Following this hesitancy from the others, Sebastian clarified that The Apprentice did not mean to sympathize with Trump.
“I think people interpret understanding as an attempt to sympathize, and that’s not the goal here. The film asks: would you trust this man? Would you put your life in his hands?”
