There's a glaring problem with the new biopic about former President Donald Trump's early days, a new analysis contends: The actor playing Trump is too good.
Sebastian Stan's deep performance as a young Trump in "The Apprentice," which hits movie theaters on Friday, doesn't do justice to the shallowness of the man he's portraying, Washington Post columnist Will Leitch argued Friday.
"Stan goes exploring for a treasure that doesn’t seem to exist," wrote Leitch. "Searching for a soul in Trump is a fool’s errand."
Leitch's commentary of "The Apprentice" goes beyond film review by focusing on the reasons behind his frustration over one telling scene.
In that scene, the audience watches a young Trump seek out his alcoholic and depressed brother Fred Jr. and help him out of a New York City tavern.
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According to Leitch, Stan's performance is "beautifully played" as he depicts a slew of emotions that include sadness, pity and pain.
This presents the critic with a problem: "Just who does Stan think he’s playing?"
Leitch lists a slew of actors who have tried and, he argues, failed to capture Trump's essence (or lack thereof) — including Alec Baldwin, Johnny Depp and Darrell Hammond — before landing on the performer he believes nailed it: Irish actor Brendan Gleeson.
Gleeson portrayed Trump in Showtimes' "The Comey Rule" with the correct mindset, Leitch argued: No mindset at all.
"He’s a hurricane, an act of God, an unstoppable force of nature," Leitch of the Irish actor's portrayal. "Gleeson does not to try to humanize Trump anymore than you would humanize the tornadoes in 'Twisters.'"
And Leitch points to a comment from Gleeson to explain why the performance worked: "I can’t see that there’s a private part to discover."