Sebastian Stan reveals the difficulties he faced in portraying Donald Trump and how it affected filming his next Marvel project, “Thunderbolts*”.

Sebastian Stan, throughout his career, has showcased a range of varied roles spread across different genres. While some might recognize him best for playing the deadly and enigmatic Winter Soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, others know him for his role of the charming Carter Baizen in Gossip Girl.

Sebastian Stan | Credit: Image by Gage Skidmore, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

And in his recent flick, the actor took on the role of the upcoming President of the United States, Donald Trump. While there were political challenges in playing such a role, Stan faced other problems that made filming his next MCU flick, Thunderbolts* too challenging.

The unusual trouble Sebastian Stan faced while filming Thunderbolts*

Sebastian Stan in a still from The Apprentice | Credits: Briarcliff Entertainment

Sebastian Stan is a master when it comes to portraying varied roles but sometimes even a brilliant actor like Stan can end up facing unlikely and usual challenges. Having recently starred in Ali Abbasi’s biographical film based on Donald Trump‘s early career, The Apprentice, Stan revealed how the shooting of this film came close to overlapping with MCU’s Thunderbolts*.

Given the different requirements of both films, the actor had a tough time juggling work. Having researched the f–k out of it and surrendered wholly to the biographical project, as he himself revealed to GQ, Stan found himself unable to shake off ‘Trump’ when he went to shoot for Thunderbolts* right after.

I went off to Marvel after [The Apprentice]. And we were doing scenes, and I would do something, a thing or two, and be like, ‘F–k! This is still living somewhere.’

Well, fortunately for him, he did catch his faults and corrected his mannerisms, transforming into Bucky once again. However, given how much hard work he put into both flicks, it is commendable and a testament to his talent to take on two varied projects in a close amount of time.

Sebastian Stan faced other ‘physical’ challenges while filming The Apprentice and Thunderbolts*

Sebastian Stan in a still from Thunderbolts* | Credits: Marvel Studios

Sebastian Stan’s roles in The Apprentice and Thunderbolts* do not only differ in terms of genre and characteristics but they also differ in terms of physicality. While in order to portray a young Donald Trump, Stan had to build up a bit of weight, for the Marvel flick he had to be at his physical best.

However, this posed yet another significant challenge for him. As is detailed in his latest GQ story, the production on the biographical flick was ‘hazardously stop-start.’ Stan, to gain weight, had to eat several peanut butter sandwiches, drink several Coca-Colas, and various other things, only to find out production had been suspended.

At one point, the two films came close to overlapping leading him to start shredding weight for Thunderbolts*, for the film to yet again be postponed due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. He once again had to munch on PG&Js to get unfit. At 41, this took a toll on his body, especially since this happened more than a few times, leaving him in torment.

The Apprentice can be rented on Amazon Prime, while Thunderbolts* will hit the theatres on May 2, 2025.