In a case of life imitating artwork imitating life, the author/director of Donald Trump origin story and now Oscar contender “The Apprentice,” Ali Abbasi, has been accused of groping an unnamed A-list actor at CAA‘s Golden Globes after-party final month. Because of this, Abbasi has separated from his U.S. representatives at Inventive Arts Company, Leisure 360, and the regulation agency of Granderson Des Rochers, however nonetheless retains UK illustration via Lark Administration.
First reported in Deadline, sources advised the outlet Abbasi was intoxicated on the after-party and made undesirable advances towards the man CAA consumer. The company apparently responded by reprimanding Abbasi and demanding he apologize to the actor. It’s unclear whether or not such an apology was given or whether or not Abbasi was dropped or left these companies of his personal volition.
IndieWire has reached out to CAA, Leisure 360, and Lark for remark, however acquired no response as of publication.
In an announcement given to Deadline, Abbasi wrote, “I can affirm that I’ve made the choice to maneuver in a brand new path with my profession. I’m grateful for the work CAA and Leisure 360 have finished, notably their dedication to ‘The Apprentice,’ which stays a mission I’m extremely happy with. I stay up for asserting my subsequent steps on the acceptable time.”
The twisted irony beneath this whole scenario is how Abbasi’s star has risen because of the controversy surrounding his newest movie, which itself is a examine of some of the controversial figures in current historical past.
“The Apprentice” options Sebastian Stan as a younger Donald Trump and Jeremy Robust as his mentor, the McCarthy-era litigator Roy Cohn. Each performers are nominated on the upcoming Academy Awards for Greatest Actor and Greatest Supporting Actor, respectively, however the movie nearly didn’t make it to theaters after its U.S. distribution deal was blocked by one of many movie’s producers, Trump donor Daniel Snyder.
Briarcliff Leisure ultimately swooped in to avoid wasting the day. A giant cause for this block by Snyder possible concerned a scene within the movie depicting Trump bodily and sexually assaulting his then-wife Ivana.
Chatting with IndieWire on the New York Metropolis premiere of “The Apprentice,” Abbasi ruminated on how he believed Trump would reply to watching his movie: “Do I believe he’s gonna find it irresistible? Most likely not. Do I believe he’s gonna hate it? I don’t suppose so. Actually, I believe he would see our need to depict them as human beings and no matter he thinks of that, I might be excited to listen to what he thinks.”