Jeremy Strong has revealed he felt a ‘dangerous kinship’ with Donald Trump while starring in biopic The Apprentice, as he graced the cover of GQ Hype’s latest issue.
The Succession star played lawyer Roy Crohn in the biopic opposite Sebastian Stan as a younger incarnation of the future US President, with both landing Academy Award nominations for their performances.
Jeremy admitted that after playing Roy in the film, he’s developed a partial sympathy for him and Trump, despite the latter’s already-divisive second term as President.
He said: ‘Certainly when I was doing it and sort of inside of it, I felt kinship with the Donald character. I want to be careful of how I talk about this; it feels dangerous.
‘There’s a line that was omitted from the movie, but basically it defined what linked them, which was in Roy’s words, that they were both willing to walk over fresh corpses to get what they want.
‘And so that sort of dark alliance and kinship, I certainly felt while we were making it. And did it change how I see Trump on a human level?
Jeremy Strong has revealed he felt a ‘dangerous kinship’ with Donald Trump while starring in biopic The Apprentice, as he graced the cover of GQ Hype’s latest issue
The Succession star admitted he’s developed a partial sympathy for Trump, despite his already-divisive second term as President
‘Probably. I mean, whether it’s Roy Cohn, or even Lee Harvey Oswald [in 2013’s Parkland], or Kendall Roy [in Succession], or any of these characters—I get the sense that people label them despicable, monstrous, whatever.
‘And I don’t disagree with that in some cases, but you have to suspend your judgment to try and walk in their shoes and understand them.’
The Apprentice offers a glimpse at Trump’s early career as a real estate mogul in the 1970s and 1980s, and despite being praised by critics, has only grossed $17 million at the box office.
Jeremy went onto say that given the way Trump is presented in the film, if more young people had seen it, it could have had an impact on their votes in the US Election last year.
He added: ‘I’ve thought about this a lot. I mean, I’m someone who was deeply affected by watching certain movies when I was growing up, and in a lot of ways, they informed a lot of my worldview.
‘I remember movies like Mississippi Burning or The Killing Fields, or Midnight Express. These kinds of movies had a huge impact on me. So I think certainly for a lot of the younger people who didn’t vote, it may have moved the needle.’
Jeremy, who earned praise for his role as Kendall Roy in the satirical black comedy Succession, also reflected on his now-infamous profile in The New Yorker in 2021, which raised eyebrows as it detailed his intense acting methods.
In it the star admitted he doesn’t agree that Succession is a dark comedy – insisted he doesn’t consider himself to be a method actor but practices what he calls ‘identity diffusion’.
Jeremy stars as lawyer Roy Cohn opposite Sebastian Stan, who plays a younger incarnation of Donald Trump, in The Apprentice, and both stars have landed Academy Award nominations
Jeremy, who earned praise for his role as Kendall Roy in the satirical black comedy Succession, also reflected on his ‘painful’ profile in The New Yorker in 2021
Jeremy added that his recent appearance in a Super Bowl advert for Dunkin’ Donuts was his ‘response’ to the perception of him pushed by the profile
Jeremy also admitted he had injured his leg on season three and fractured his foot during season one after throwing himself into scenes.
After the interview was published, many stars spoke out in support of Jeremy, including Jessica Chastain, who branded it ‘snarky’ and ‘one-sided.’
Reflecting on the 2021 interview, Jeremy told GQ: ‘Yeah, it was really painful. It’s painful to feel misunderstood and misrepresented, and I’m sure there were things about it where looking in the mirror can also be painful.’
Jeremy added that his recent appearance in a Super Bowl advert for Dunkin’ Donuts, where he appeared opposite Ben and Casey Affleck, was his ‘response’ to the perception of him pushed by the profile.
He added: ‘And this Dunkin’ commercial, I did this because it was my answer and response to all of that stuff. A repudiation of it.
‘A way, in its own form of risk, of actually poking fun at myself, poking fun at this absurd notion. I’ve never called myself a Method actor. Never once.
‘The Bean Method is as absurd or as legitimate as these ideas that are going around. So I had fun with that and I thought it was just a way of saying Listen, I take what I do extremely seriously, but I don’t take myself all that seriously.’
‘I don’t t
hink it’s a defensive posture. I think it was, Okay, they want me to do this thing, [and] I actually think I have a really f*****g funny idea that could make fun of myself.
‘And I’ve never been interested in hosting Saturday Night Live, but if I could do one skit, one sketch, I’d have a lot of time to prepare for it, hone it, play with it, and do it on my own terms… I came up with all of it.’
The commercial begins with flashback footage from last year’s Super Bowl ad, where the DunKings were a pop group.
One year later, Affleck is seen chatting with his brother Casey, revealing the ‘thing’ now is ‘diss tracks,’ possibly referencing the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef.
‘Everyone’s insulting each other, that’s how you get successful. We battle the other coffee brands and win this cup,’ Ben says, though Casey doesn’t want to do it.
Casey said it, ‘looks stupid,’ as Ben adds, ‘This is why people call you a difficult actor,’ though Casey insists, ‘No one says that.’
They’re then seen a the ‘Java Jam: Battle of the Coffee Brand Bands,’ where Ben is signing autographs at the Dunkin booth.
A young kid is disappointed that Tom Brady and Matt Damon aren’t there, as Ben insists they don’t have ‘the heart of a champion.’
The kid doesn’t think Ben is talented as he teased a ‘fourth DunKing’ that’s a ‘big surprise,’ as they cut to Boston native Jeremy Strong’s dressing room.
The famous method actor is seen pouring Dunkin coffee beans over his head as Ben and Casey enter as Jeremy comes out of a huge barrel of coffee grounds.
‘I’m just trying to find the character,’ Strong insists, adding he’s, ‘trying to talk to the beans, immerse myself in the beans.’
Strong adds that he thinks the ‘way in,’ which involves Revolutionary War legend Paul Revere.
Affleck is approached by Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes, who have made several movies together, as Affleck wonders, ‘Aren’t you guys a little old?’
They interact with an ‘expensive coffee brand’ that Belichick jokes he would need to coach two teams to afford that brand.
They also find a fast food brand and another coffee brand called Barista Buds that is likely a reference to Starbucks before Strong arrives dressed as Paul Revere.
Jeremy makes a convincing proclamation that gets the whole Java Jam to applaud as the Dunkin crew seemingly wins the Java Jam.
Read the full feature online at GQ Hype now.
