From Marvel’s Winter Soldier to Donald Trump, it’s only one step for Sebastian Stan. And two hours of makeup every day for those who love unexpected biographies. After playing Tommy Lee in the mini-series about his sex tape with Pamela Anderson, here he is as the 45th President of the United States in the feature film The Disciple, which premiered in Cannes. A film festival that traces his rise and the creation of the character we know today.
When the project and its performer were revealed, the announcement made little impact, as no one expected Sebastian Stan for the role. “He has a pretty uncanny ability to take unsympathetic characters and make you understand them or sympathize with them.”Director Ali Abbas (Nights of Mashhad) explains his choice.
“He did it several times: in I’m Tonya and different man Or with Tommy Lee. I think he likes to work with this complexity and these limitations. Apart from being technically very good. He is a very technical actor who still remains intuitive. And that was very important.”
“Jeremy Strong Also very technical, but it had more latitude. It had more margin for error or falsification, which allowed things to be found. Not Sebastian, because his character is so specific that if he deviates from it too much, he becomes fake.”
The theme of the film is the study of Donald Trump’s humanity.
And the question of reliability proved central to the project. In terms of make-up, as the team was well aware that failure in this area could turn the project into a parody, but also in the tone and approach of the character, which would be believable from the film. “He is one of the most famous figures today, along with Jesus Christ, Hitler or the Pope. He is at once an icon, a parody of himself and an idol. He almost has the status of Superman.”
“If you’re not careful, you end up in a parody or a Saturday Night Live style very quickly.” But on the other hand, he’s a very polarizing character that people find hard to see as human. And that was the heart of the project for me: to see these very complex, imperfect, polarized people have very strong opinions about him, and I’m not arguing that there are good people. He certainly did something completely reprehensible, but that’s not the point.
“The theme of the film is the exploration of human humanity. And that’s where the greatest danger for a director or an actor lies: the willingness to twist the story in all directions to find a coherent narrative. Donald Trump, in my opinion, is an ambivalent person. If you compare him to your president, whom I have met, I know that he is not So popular, but I noticed that he is someone who knows what he wants or what he wants to do, and he probably knew when he was 20. Not Donald Trump.
“I think he wanted different things at certain points in his life. The basic idea is, ‘I want to be someone and do something.’
Finding the balance between Saturday Night Live-style parody and all-too-human and smug portrayal is one of The Apprentice’s strengths. But it also caused some problems: “That’s where Sebastian and Jeremy are, but also Maria It made a good balancing act. They had the same problem, the same question to solve, but they do it differently.”
“Finding a Balance Between Saturday Night Live and Sebastian in a Wig”
The three are Donald, Roy and Ivana. Colorful characters, larger than life. For example, Ivana is both cliché and anti-cliché, and we should have had both. It’s the same as each character has certain actions. Be consistent with what’s expected of them because they’re stuck in them. Imagine you’re playing someone.”
“When you have actors of Sebastian’s, Jeremy’s, or Maria’s caliber, most of the work is done. Then I have to come in and make adjustments. But it was Sebastian who found the perfect balance between Saturday Night Live and Sebastian in a wig. You get the character there, but you don’t go all the way.” . Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump is amazing and can be seen in cinemas from October 9th.
Commentaries collected by Maximilien Pierret in Paris on September 17, 2024
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
