We all know him, although not all of us love him. Come with me on a journey to discuss the Donald Trump Biopicture, The Apprentice.
The Apprentice, directed by Ali Abbasi, is a biographical drama about President Donald Trump. It stars Sebastian Stan as Trump and Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn. The film was released on Oct. 11, 2024, one month prior to the election.
According to Democracy Now, Trump’s legal team attempted to block this film from being released. This, along with the general controversy surrounding the topic contributed to the lack of showings in many movie theaters across the U.S.
The way The Apprentice was shot consistently with a slight grain gives it a true 70s/80s feel. Often large studio films will prioritize the quality of the camera and the number of frames they can fit in one shot. This grainy lens with an orangey tint gives this film a genuine nostalgic feel, a breath of fresh air from modern films and their constant insistence on being as crystal clarity.
The Apprentice follows the rise and fall of Trump’s professional and at times not-so-professional relationship with lawyer Cohn. It takes place in the 1970s-1980s, arguably Trump’s “peak” as a businessman.
Throughout this film, we see Trump slowly adopt the strategies and behaviors of Cohn. It’s fascinating to see what Cohn got away with, and is reminiscent of Trump’s own ability to dodge the repercussions of his actions during and prior to his presidency.
Stan’s performance as Trump is notable. Stan has the speech pattern, posture, and demeanor of Trump down perfectly. Over the course of the last decade or so, we have all seen many speeches, news clips, and other video and audio recordings of Trump speaking, with a unique and enunciated way of speaking that has developed over the course of many years. Stan has mastered Trump’s developing speech patterns through his initiation and development as a business person.
While Stan’s performance is quite notable, Strong’s representation of Cohn is even more standout. There is something so simultaneously hilarious yet terrifying about Strong and his character – his stature, his dead eyes, his tone.
At the beginning of the film, we see Cohn in what we can assume was his “prime.” He is a self assured, self obsessed individual who bends the world around him to his will using his oozing confidence and excessive wealth. His role in Trump’s life is that of a mentor.
As mentioned before, we can see through the film how Trump begins to mimic Cohn in subtle ways. He begins tanning like Cohh – likely the start of the orangey-skin-look we see today – as well as enunciating his words like him, and pushing the same tough-guy-always-right attitude that Cohn flaunts.
This film can really help its viewers understand why President Trump behaves the way he does. From the privileged upbringing, to the step-by-step tutorial on how to be a shady businessman, it all comes together to form Trump’s personality.
Although there are obviously issues with the way Cohn and Trump conduct and conducted business, it is important to reflect on the fact that they are not the only people in the U.S. who manipulate the law and find loopholes within it. Plenty of wealthy individuals use this system to their advantage – perhaps the largest flaw in the structure of our democracy.
This article was originally published in the Winter 2025 magazine, which is now available on campus newsstands. Get your free copy while they last!
