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Sebastian Stan sparked backlash online after warning America was in a “really, really bad place,” with critics blasting the “The Apprentice” star as an out of touch Hollywood elite disconnected from everyday Americans.
Stan, who starred as Donald Trump in the 2024 biopic, opened up about the current state of America while at Cannes to promote his new film, “Fjord.”
“It’s just not a laughing matter, to be honest,” he told Variety when asked how he felt about his past work on “The Apprentice” now that Trump is serving out his second term as president. “It isn’t.”
“I think we’re in a really, really bad place. I really do,” Stan added. “And to be honest with you, when you’re looking at what’s happening, right — if we’re talking about the consolidation of the media, censorship, threats, the supposed lawsuits that seemingly never end but don’t actually go anywhere. You know, the writing was on the wall. We encountered all that with the movie.”
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Sebastian Stan’s political comments at Cannes drew backlash online. (Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
The actor recalled the controversy surrounding “The Apprentice” before it debuted at Cannes in 2024.
“Three days before the festival, [we were] unsure if the movie was going to play the festival,” Stan said. “So maybe people are paying attention more to that film, I think it will stand the test of time for that. But we went through all of it, right before Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert and so on. So, I wish it wasn’t like that.”
But not everyone agreed with Stan’s bleak assessment of the country, with critics arguing the Marvel star was out of touch with the realities facing most Americans.
“These idiots live in a bubble,” one X user commented. “No real Americans think this way.”
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Sebastian Stan starred as Donald Trump in “The Apprentice.” (Matt Rourke/AP Photo)
“Ahh yes. A multi millionaire telling people how this country is horrible. The people are oppressed, have censorship and no hope. By the way please pay $18 ticket and see my movie,” another person wrote.
One comment read, “The opinions of the elites don’t matter at all. The elites are those who live in guarded multimillion dollar homes, gated communities patrolled by security, with million dollar incomes, & have zero connection to the ordinary common citizens. They’re too out of touch with reality.”
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Sebastian Stan’s rise to fame started gradually with TV appearances on “Gossip Girl” and “Once Upon a Time,” but everything changed when Marvel cast him as Bucky Barnes. (Michael Kovac/Getty Images for ELLE)
Some users praised the “Thunderbolts” star for voicing concerns they said extended beyond partisan politics.
“It’s not Trump, it’s the entire super pac system,” one user wrote. “Stop getting distracted by Trump, he’s a symptom of something bigger. You’re annoyed by the lump and ignoring the cancer…”
“Wow, this might be the dumbest comment section I’ve ever seen,” one added. “I thought Americans finally woke up about trump but I can see only idiots being upset about what Sebastian is rightfully saying.”
Javier Bardem made politicized comments at Cannes. (Nathan Congleton/NBC)
Stan’s comments followed Javier Bardem’s decision to wade into politics while promoting his film “The Beloved.” Bardem called out world leaders — including President Trump, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu — for exhibiting “male toxic behavior.”
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