And Sebastian Stan made a name for himself in Hollywood in the fairly classic register of the handsome guy – particularly within the Marvel universe where he is a fan favorite or on Disney+, where he wreaked havoc as a sexy cannibal in Fresh –, his presence in two independent films this fall reminds us that confining him to his visual arts would be a big mistake. In A Different Man, black comedy and first filmAaron Schimberg (stamped A24, the film does not yet have a French release date), Stan is totally unrecognizable: he plays an aspiring actor suffering from neurofibromatosis who is going to undergo facial reconstructive surgery from which he emerges strangely resembling… Sebastian Stan. The film has already screened at Sundance and Berlin, where his performance earned him the Silver Bear for Best Actor.
It was in Cannes last May that The Apprentice was shown for the first time. In this fast-paced film, directed by Ali Abbasi and written by Gabriel Sherman (regular in the columns of Vanity Fair US), Stan plays the young Donald Trump. The narrative focuses on the relationship between Trump and his mentor Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong) ; initially, the biopic sees Stan nuancely embody the real estate tycoon who has become a political animal, before gradually adopting all the vocal and verbal tics that ended up defining his character as an insufferable loudmouth. A fine approach, as close as possible to the character, thanks to which Stan ends up completely disappearing behind the one he plays (the film will be released in theaters this Wednesday, October 9, two days before the United States, where it had the biggest hard to find a distributor).
This role is exactly the kind of challenge that Stan had hoped to take on for years: he had long feared that the clean image that Hollywood had of him would prevent him from doing so, as he explains in the interview that we were able to lead with him. He has certainly already been able to taste the exercise in 2018 when Craig Gillespie gave him the role of the violent husband of Tonya Harding In I, Tonya, or in the skin of Tommy Lee for an explosive performance in the series Pam & Tommy in 2022, which earned him an Emmy nomination. But playing the lead role in these two films – which are sure to attract a lot of attention – undoubtedly marks a turning point for him. Judging from our conversation, he is not afraid of the controversies that are sure to arise. Quite the contrary: he rubs his hands with it.
Vanity Fair : Let’s talk a little about your metamorphosis in A Different Man. If I understood correctly, each of your days began very early with a makeup session. Have you ever had this type of experience, a complete facial transformation?
Sebastian Stan : No not at all. It was a first for me, at least at this level. And it really impacted everything else: my body, my physicality, my perception of the world, the world’s perception of me as I walked the streets of New York as Edward. As we only had a short time — the shoot was very, very short, only 22 days, and it was still in the middle of covid in Manhattan, and our makeup artist was working on two projects at the same time — so I had to was in the makeup chair very early in the morning with him, and then I had four or five hours before filming started, during which I was hanging out in the streets before joining the set.
What was the reaction of passers-by in the streets of New York?
Rather extreme. By that I mean, a guy could react immediately, nudge his friend – and not particularly discreetly – by pointing at me, or exclaiming something like “Oh, fuck”. Or even take a photo. Or, conversely, people acted as if I wasn’t there, completely ignoring me. I remember waiting at a pedestrian crossing. I was surrounded by people, I turned slightly towards them and they stared straight ahead so as not to meet my gaze.
A Different Man has a fairly meta side. It’s about an actor who wants to be seen. I’m curious if this is something that resonates with you?
The only thing that really inspired me and that corresponds to my reality is the invasion of my private life, I experience it every day. Not just me, but the people around me, like my family or even my dentist. When we were talking with Aaron and Adam about how to approach this experience, this is what they suggested to me: this idea of being seen as a public figure. It’s something that I can understand, because when you are filmed constantly, or things are written, you have no control over it, you can only accept it as something which is the fruit of the choices you have made. But it’s not necessarily something you deserve.
