Sebastian Stan revealed he had to cancel his appearance on Variety’s Actors on Actors because other Hollywood stars were ‘too scared’ to talk about Donald Trump.
The 43-year-old, who portrays the president-elect in his new biopic, The Apprentice, attended a screening of the film where he said he would be taking part in the new season of the talk show.
The show’s unique format involves a series of interviews where two actors from different films or TV shows have candid conversations.
However, Stan had to leave the show because no other actors wanted to participate and risk having to speak about the controversial political figure.
‘I couldn’t find another actor to do it with me because they were too scared to talk about this film. So I couldn’t do it,” Stan said in a video shared by one of the attendees YouTube.
Sebastian Stan, 43, revealed he had to cancel his appearance on Variety’s Actors on Actors because other Hollywood stars were ‘too scared’ to talk about Donald Trump; Seen in 2024
Stan portrays the president-elect in his new biopic The Apprentice; Trump pictured on November 16, 2024 in New York City
“We couldn’t get past the publicists or the people who represented them because [they were] too scared to talk about this movie,” he continued.
He then expressed concern about people becoming too scared or uncomfortable to have honest conversations, and how this could lead to a “problem.”
‘Then I think we lose the situation. Because if it really becomes like that – fear or that discomfort of talking about this – then we really have a problem.’
Following Trump’s landslide victory in the presidential election, Stan said he understands that talking about him right now “can be very difficult to deal with.”
“I understand that emotions are very high, but I think this is the only way you can understand this film,” he added.
The actor further wondered, “If it just says you can’t keep pushing this person aside, especially after he gets the popular vote, shouldn’t we even take a closer look at this and try to understand what it is about this person who is even behind that? ‘
It comes after Stan criticized Trump in an interview just before Election Day.
Stan labeled Trump “a paranoid, scared little man” who “doesn’t care about your situation” in an episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter Podcast.
The actor informed viewers that they can watch The Apprentice on video-on-demand before heading to the polls “and if you live in this country, you should do that because it’s your right,” he stressed.
“You have the right to be curious and to know what there is to know,” said Stan, whose biopic was labeled “fake” by Trump.
‘I couldn’t find another actor to do it with me because they were too scared to talk about this film. So I couldn’t do it,” Stan said at a recent screening of the film; he is pictured on November 2
He then expressed concern that people are becoming too afraid to have honest conversations: “If it really becomes like this – fear or that discomfort of talking about this – then we really have a problem.”
He went on to say that we “can’t keep pushing this person aside, especially after he gets the popular vote,” adding, “shouldn’t we take a closer look at this and try to understand what it is about this person that is even behind that?’; seen in a still from The Apprentice
‘What is so controversial about this film? I mean, I think the scariest part is our own level of denial of reality right now. If you really want to know, it exists, it’s all been documented over the last thirty or forty years.”
He continued: ‘There are people who will say, ‘We don’t know what the truth is anymore.’ That’s the problem! He [Trump] has messed it up so much… You can create your own truth at this point, believe whatever you want, and that’s what people do. But I think if you really care about it, you can still find it.”
He added, “And let me tell you something: There is a paranoid, scared little man who is still fighting the good fight to join the Manhattan membership club and be put on a plaque on the wall. He doesn’t care about your situation. It’s that he has to get there first. And that’s exactly what the film is.’
The Romanian-born actor, who immigrated to the United States with his mother at the age of 12, said the role appealed to him because he believed it ultimately embodied the American Dream.
“What essentially started as my kind of dismissive, judgmental attitude toward this man started to take shape into something bigger, which was not just about this man, but also about a certain mentality and this idea of the American dream as we know it, and what Is that really so?’
“Because I’ve been obsessed with it ever since my mother in New York City pointed to the Twin Towers and all around us and said, ‘This is the promised land, this is the land of the free, this is the land of opportunity.’ This is where you can become someone. And I sacrificed my life to get here.” And so I’ve always been in love with this idea. I’m kind of an example of the American dream. I was lucky.’
“The film asked the question, ‘What is the cost?’ And this man was a really good example of what can happen when you lose who you are because you’re so focused on one thing and nothing else matters, not even your humanity.”
The Apprentice stars Stan as a young Trump and features controversial scenes, including one in which Trump sexually assaults his then-wife, Ivana Trump, and one in which he receives liposuction and surgery to cover up a growing bald spot on the back of his head.
Trump called the film “FAKE” and “CLASSLESS” on Truth Social, adding that the film will “hopefully ‘bomb.’
The Apprentice was released on October 11.
The Apprentice – which stars Stan as a young Trump and features a number of controversial scenes – was released on October 11
On Truth Social, Trump Called The Apprentice ‘FAKE’ and ‘CLASSLESS’
Trump won the 2024 election despite the large number of Hollywood stars who supported Kamala Harris’ campaign, including Showbiz royalty Oprah, Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez, among others, who accompanied the vice president at her events.
Blockbuster stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts were featured in her campaign ads, and millennial and Gen-Z icons, like Taylor Swift and Charli virtue signaling’ A-listers wasn’t enough.
Trump became the country’s next president after capturing votes in a wave of swing states and winning both the popular vote and the Electoral College in one fell swoop.
He received the support of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, former WWE star Hulk Hogan, and Joe Rogan, who made a last-minute endorsement of the Republican candidate on the eve of Election Day.
While it’s questionable what effect celebrity endorsements actually have on voters, experts argue that Rogan’s single show of support to his millions of followers likely helped Trump far more than the star-studded lineup that preached the blue wall.