When an actor gives themselves over to a role, a part of that character always lingers within them. Austin Butler still sounds slightly like Elvis, and Bob Hoskins hallucinated Looney Tunes characters after Who Framed Roger Rabbit had wrapped. Unfortunately for Sebastian Stan, it seems he had a difficult time shaking the character of Donald Trump. The MCU star plays Trump in the new biopic, The Apprentice, directed by Ali Abbasi. Production on the movie was sandwiched by Stan’s longstanding commitment to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But, when he turned up to film Thunderbolts* after The Apprentice had wrapped, Donald Trump began making his way to the MCU.

Speaking to British GQ, Sebastian Stan recalled the hampered production of The Apprentice and the unexpected effect the performance had on him. The controversial biopic depicts Donald Trump’s rise to financial power after meeting his mentor, Roy Cohn (played by Jeremy Strong). The first trailer showcased Stan’s incredible transformation into Trump, but he couldn’t quite let Trump’s distinct mannerisms go when production wrapped. “I went off to Marvel after [The Apprentice],” the actor began. Stan has played Bucky Barnes in the MCU for over a decade. But, when he went to reprise the role in Thunderbolts*, his stoic character didn’t return to him as he thought. Sebastian Stan explained:

“And we were doing scenes, and I would do something, a thing or two, and be like, ‘
f*ck! [Donald Trump] is still living somewhere.’
”

Alongside Stan and Strong, The Apprentice also stars Maria Bakalova, Martin Donovan, Charlie Carrick, Joe Pingue, and Mark Rendall. The film is touring the film festival circuit and is about to premiere at the New York Film Festival and London International Film Festival. Following its first screenings, The Apprentice sits at 77% on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviews of The Apprentice film praise Stan’s performance as the controversial businessman and politician, but some argue that the movie fails to dive deep enough into the hard-hitting subject matter originally promised.

Inside Sebastian Stan’s Physical Transformation to Play Donald Trump

Playing Donald Trump marks a major change from the superhero physique of Bucky Barnes in the MCU. While Bucky isn’t a bulging mountain of muscles like Thor, he still has to be in great shape to keep up with the rest of Marvel’s heroes. Donald Trump, however, probably wouldn’t be able to keep up with one of Bucky’s workouts. To play Trump in The Apprentice, Sebastian Stan had two months to gain weight.

Related Sebastian Stan Thinks There’s a Little Trump in All of Us Actor Sebastian Stan and Director Ali Abbasi reveal their motives behind their controversial portrayal of Donald Trump

Sebastian Stan contacted a dietitian, asking for the safest way to transform his body. The dietitian told him to drink several beers a day. However, as Donald Trump didn’t drink, Sebastian Stan thought it would be dishonest to the performance. Instead, he ate a lot of ramen with soy sauce, as the excessive sodium caused his face to puff up. He also consumed countless peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and lots of Coca-Cola. Sebastian Stan gained 15lbs in just two months.

Set during the early years of Trump’s business career, the film focuses on the relationship of Trump and Roy Cohn, a New York City prosecutor known for working with Senator Joseph McCarthy during the Second Red Scare.Release Date October 11, 2024 Director Ali Abbasi Cast Sebastian Stan , Jeremy Strong , Maria Bakalova , Emily Mitchell , Martin Donovan , Patch Darragh , Stuart Hughes , Eoin Duffy , Chloe Madison , Ben Sullivan , Mark Rendall , Joe Pingue , Catherine McNally , Charlie Carrick , Jim Monaco , Bruce Beaton , Ian D. Clark , Valerie O’Connor , James Madge , Ron Lea , Edie Inksetter , Michael Hough , Robert J. Tavenor , Raechel Fisher , Stefanie Martino , Randy Thomas , Myron Ron Reider , Sharon Wilcox Runtime 123 Minutes Expand