According to Sebastian Stan, many of his acting colleagues are reluctant to publicly engage with him regarding his contentious film about Donald Trump.

The 42-year-old “Avengers” actor shared that he was invited to join Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series, which pairs actors for interviews. However, he claims this didn’t happen because no other actor was willing to discuss his portrayal of Trump in the biographical film “The Apprentice.”

“I was offered the opportunity to be part of ‘Variety Actor on Actor’ this Friday, but I couldn’t find anyone to interview me because they were apprehensive about discussing this film,” Stan expressed during a film screening, as noted in a social media video.

Stan mentioned that this situation contrasted with the private praise he has received from various individuals in the industry about the film.

However, he clarified that he was not directing blame at any specific actors, suggesting that the invitation may not have reached everyone directly.

“We couldn’t bypass their publicists or representatives,” he noted.

Ramin Setoodeh, Co-Editor in Chief at Variety, validated Stan’s remarks in a statement to YSL News.

“What Sebastian stated is correct. We invited him to join the ‘Actors on Actors’ series, which is a key event during awards season, but fellow actors were hesitant to partner with him because they didn’t want to address Donald Trump,” Setoodeh explained.

When the clip gained traction on X, actor Paul Walter Hauser stepped up to express his willingness to speak with Stan. “I’ll do it?” he wrote. However, Setoodeh mentioned in an X post that the current season of “Actors on Actors” has already concluded.

Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series features two celebrities conversing, typically focused on their projects that are generating awards consideration. This series has included notable stars like Robert Downey Jr. and Jennifer Aniston in the past.

The film “The Apprentice,” with Stan portraying a younger Trump, has sparked controversy ever since its debut at the Cannes Film Festival in May. The former president has threatened legal action over the biopic, which includes a depiction of him raping his then-wife Ivana Trump. Ivana had retracted her rape allegation against Trump in 2015.

Director Ali Abbasi dismissed Trump’s lawsuit threats back in May, suggesting that the former president should watch the film to understand its context.

“I don’t think this is necessarily a movie he’d dislike, nor do I think he’d like it. I think he’d be surprised… I’d be happy to meet him anywhere and discuss the movie, perhaps have a screening and talk after,” he stated during a Cannes press conference.

In a conversation with Entertainment Weekly last month, Abbasi revealed that it had been challenging to secure a distributor for the film following its Cannes showing. “From a business standpoint, it’s understandable not to want complications, but we aren’t selling ice cream,” he remarked. “It was quite surprising,” he added.

On Truth Social in October, Trump criticized the film as a “cheap, defamatory, and politically objectionable attack, released just before the 2024 Presidential Election, aimed at undermining the Greatest Political Movement in the History of our Country.”

Ultimately, “The Apprentice” was released in theaters in October but garnered little attention, earning less than $5 million at the U.S. box office.