It is an understatement to say that Sebastian Stan’s range is broad. The actor will surprise Marvel fans who discovered him in Winter Soldier alongside Captain America when they see him in The Apprentice by Ali Abbasi where he plays a young Donald Trump.
The actor honored with the Rising Star prize at the Deauville festival is exceptional in the role of the ex-president of the United States. “I have never met Donald Trump and, to my knowledge, he has not seen the film,” Sebastian Stan told 20 Minutes. I imagine he has other concerns at the moment. »
Totally unrecognizable
Sebastian Stan, a tall, friendly brunette, is unrecognizable as Donald Trump. “Changing my appearance fascinates me,” explains the actor. If we no longer recognize ourselves when we look in a mirror, it’s a way of diving deeper into a character. It’s liberating because it erases all vanity. »
He goes from a little young man humiliated by his father to a monster ready for anything. It must be said that young Donald is cornered by the lawyer Roy Cohn, played by a Jeremy Strong dazzling with unbridled malice, who teaches him the ropes of a sense of politics as fierce as it is uninhibited.
Stronger than his mentor
This boy who feels bad about himself ends up surpassing his master in his rise to power but the actor is careful not to demonize him. This makes Donald Trump all the more worrying. “I have always been attracted to complex characters who are uncomfortable in their own skin. Even Barnes, the Winter Soldier is not like any other Marvel superhero. He is missing an arm. »
With Donald Trump, he goes further in the incarnation of a true sociopath. “The big difference is that it exists in real life,” explains Sebastian Stan. Donald Trump represents a real danger, but I could not allow myself to be judgmental before embodying him.” The film describes the making of this monster in the making. “It was human history that attracted me to The Apprenticethe desire not to approach the subject in a simplistic way but to understand how and why it got there. Which made a child like we all were, an insatiable politician. »
Pour Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice is more than just an acting performance. “The past is the best way we have to approach the present,” he insists. That’s why I hope people will go see the film. It will allow them to delve into the intricacies of what we consider to be American success and to think about what that means. » Sebastian Stan knows what he’s talking about. Originally from Romania, he embodies success in his adopted country and around the world. “My mother sacrificed herself for me,” he said. I know the “American Dream” comes at a price. »
Exciting projects
With this background, Sebastian Stan doesn’t hold back anything. It also turns out to be astonishing in A Different Man by Aaron Schinberg. He plays a man suffering from an illness that disfigures him before accepting treatment that will change his life. And he will continue to alternate between big films and independent works. “Both are important to me,” he confides. Marvel blockbusters aren’t as shallow as they seem. I always look for challenges in the roles given to me. I believe that comfort is the worst enemy of art. » His choices confirm that he practices what he preaches.
