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Journalist and author Gabriel Sherman, who wrote the script for the forthcoming Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice, has spoken about his thought process behind one of its most controversial scenes.
Directed by Iranian filmmaker Ali Abbasi, the film, which is described as an “origin story,” stars Sebastian Stan as a young Trump, alongside Succession’s Jeremy Strong as his mentor, lawyer and political fixer Roy Cohn.
The Eighties-set movie, which had its world premiere in May at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, features several unflattering scenes, including Trump using drugs and undergoing cosmetic operations.
More controversially, it shows Trump raping his first wife Ivana, to whom he was married from 1977 to 1990.
“I think it was incredibly important to put [that scene] in the film from a characterological perspective because this movie is really trying to show the roots of where Donald Trump today came from,” Sherman told Entertainment Weekly in a new interview. “Trump has been credibly accused of sexual assault by multiple women.”
Ivana had accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in a 1989 divorce deposition. She later disavowed the age-old allegation in 2015. In a statement to CNN, she said the story was “totally without merit.”
“Donald and I are the best of friends and together have raised three children that we love and are very proud of,” she added.
“Speaking as a writer, not a journalist, what felt the most emotionally true to me was the statement she made in real time under oath,” Sherman said, referring to the divorce deposition.
Asked why the rape scene has garnered so much attention, Abbsi said he thinks it’s “because usually people censor those things.”
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“My biggest interest is to depict the character in his full complexity, and I think part of that, which is a really important point in the story, is how egocentric Donald becomes,” the filmmaker explained. “He crosses that line with someone he loved. I don’t think that’s a scene about sexual assault itself; I think it’s a scene about the balance of power and empathy.”
Last May, Trump was found liable for sexually abusing and defaming columnist E Jean Carroll by a jury in a civil trial in New York.
The New York judge later clarified that the jury’s finding does “not mean that [Carroll] failed to prove that Mr Trump ‘raped’ her as many people commonly understand the word rape.”
The former president has also been accused by more than a dozen women of varying inappropriate behavior, ranging from sexual assault to sexual harassment. Trump has repeatedly denied all accusations of inappropriate behavior.
Weeks before he won the 2016 election, a video tape was released in which Trump was caught on a hot mic talking about sexually harassing and abusing women. The Access Hollywood recording, from 2005, caused a bombshell in the run-up to the election and saw various Republicans publicly disavowing Trump. However, he insisted his words were “locker room” talk and should not be taken literally.
For months, The Apprentice faced an uphill battle to secure a US distribution or streaming deal, despite receiving rave reviews following its premiere.
At the time, the film’s producers reportedly believed that studios and distributors were wary about getting involved with the project because of fear of repercussions should Trump be re-elected as president in November.
It was finally acquired by Tom Ortenberg’s Briarcliff Entertainment in late August, and it is scheduled to premiere in theaters on October 11.
