Jeremy Strong on playing Trump's enigmatic advisor in new film
19 September 2024 16:52
Jeremy Strong, who plays his advisor and lawyer in the latest film about the beginnings of Trump's career, revealed that he recorded a scene that regrettably did not make it into the final cut. What a pity.
Jeremy Strong, known for his role in the series "Succession," spoke about his new role as Roy Cohn in the film "The Apprentice," which focuses on Donald Trump's early career. The actor discussed this topic on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert."
Jeremy Strong in "The Apprentice"
Jeremy Strong, recognised in the industry for his serious approach to roles, plays the controversial lawyer and political advisor Roy Cohn in the new film. "The Apprentice," directed by Ali Abbasi, narrates the story of Cohn's mentorship of a young Donald Trump, played by Sebastian Stan.
In a television interview, Strong spoke about Cohn's real obsession with frogs. Apparently, he had a room full of frogs and frog statuettes.
"He was a conundrum. He was a very, very vicious, despicable person in a lot of ways, by many considered one of the worst humans of the 20th century. And he was also a kind of arrested — he was sort of like a demonic Peter Pan who never grew up," he told Colbert.
"So, we did shoot a scene. I asked the costume designer to go find a full-body frog suit. And I was in my bedroom with Donald, and I sang the entirety of the George Hearn song "I Am What I Am" from La Cage Aux Folles in a frog suit. But it’s not in the movie. But I think it should be."
Jeremy Strong is renowned in the industry as a man who fully dedicates himself to his current work and role. He often does things on film sets that aren't in the script. This was no different on the set of Succession, where he was filming the final episode of the cult series.
"The Apprentice": a film about Trump's beginnings
"The Apprentice," the film's original title, already had its festival premiere, but now it's confirmed that the movie about Donald Trump's early career will hit theatres on 18th October. The young Trump is portrayed by Sebastian Stan and his mentor, Roy Cohn, by Jeremy Strong. Director Ali Abbasi depicts how the wealthy Cohn "creates" Trump. He advises him on how to look, what to do, and how to speak.
The controversy arises not only from the film's subject matter, which is about the making of Donald Trump as a magnate of American business, but also from certain scenes depicting Donald and Ivana's marriage. In one scene, Trump is shown forcing his wife Ivana into sex. This issue was widely discussed for many years.
In an interview with Hollywood Reporter, Strong described his approach to the role as "humanistic." "I came to this not as a Democrat or a Republican, but as a humanist," he said.