Top 10 Things The Apprentice Got Factually Right and Wrong

Wrong
Per Apprentice screenwriter Gabriel Sherman in an Entertainment Weekly interview, everything in the movie that seems the most shocking is actually completely based on real events. Sherman further claimed that [v]ery little has been dramatized. As depicted in The Apprentice, Trump and mentor Cohn scored an early-career victory for the former by securing a contract to build the Grand Hyatt Hotel in 1978. However, no evidence exists to suggest that Cohn used illicit recordings to blackmail a city official. Sherman, a former reporter who covered Trump extensively, pointed out that Cohn was notorious for using dirty tricks, such as unauthorized surveillance, to win at all costs.

Right
Cohn, who first rose to prominence as Senator Joseph McCarthys chief counsel in his quest to root out Communists, bore more than a few secrets of his own. Perhaps his worst-kept was his identity as a gay man, which he denied throughout his life despite mountains of evidence to the contrary. The Apprentice holds no punches in its uncompromising depiction of Cohns life particularly the drug- and sex-fuelled parties that the controversial prosecutor was known for. In one eyebrow-raising scene, Trump attends such a party at Cohns house and discovers the lawyer engaged in an intimate encounter. These parties were actually held at the famous Studio 54, and theres no proof of Trump walking in on Cohn in a compromising situation.

Wrong
Cohns 1984 AIDS diagnosis put a decisive end to his hard-partying ways. However, the pervasive stigma and misinformation surrounding the disease at the time cast a looming shadow over his and future President Trumps relationship. While a scene in The Apprentice depicts Cohn and Trump hashing it out, this does not appear to have been the case in reality. Instead, the duos long friendship apparently fizzled out over time, and was made clear by Trumps general unwillingness to stand by Cohn in the latters final years. Cohn, who died destitute and in substantial debt, reportedly expressed disappointment in his mentees cold shoulder treatment.

Right
Russell Eldridge, as played by Ben Sullivan in The Apprentice, was, indeed, a real person who was involved with the closeted Roy Cohn. The broad strokes of Russells depiction in director Ali Abbasis film appear to be accurate: as described by journalist David L. Marcus (also Cohns cousin), Cohn claimed that Eldridge was his secretary. Abbasis film portrays Cohn as asking Trump to put Eldridge up in the Barbizon-Plaza Hotel (now Trump Parc), to which Trump reluctantly obliges. This followed Eldridges AIDS diagnosis; Russell would eventually die of the disease. However, it is unclear as to whether or not the future president saw to it that Eldridge was removed from the premises, or if the incident occurred at all.

Right
As depicted in The Apprentice, Donald Trumps older brother Fred was something of a black sheep within the Trump family. Fred, who faced significant struggles with alcohol use disorder later in life, was essentially given up on by Fred Sr. for his perceived rebellion. This rebellion consisted of shirking the family real estate business entirely to pursue his dream of becoming an airline pilot. Enraged, Fred Sr. constantly mocked Fred Jr. according to the latters daughter Mary, Freds father dismantled him by devaluing and degrading every aspect of his personality. It has been speculated that Fred Jr. 's substance use was spurred on by this torment. Tragically, his alcohol use would be his undoing: Fred Jr. died in 1981, aged only 42.

Wrong
The Apprentice depicts Donald Trump as turning to amphetamines as a way of dealing with his increasing responsibilities and rising public profile. If you choose to believe former President Trump himself, hes been a staunch teetotaler since 1976, with his older brother Fred Jr. as his main influence. Said Trump, Every day he lectured me, "Look at the mess I'm in. If I ever catch you smoking, you'll be sorry, drinking even a glass of booze because you'll like it too much." ... Freddy did a good job. While its certainly possible that Trump isnt being totally forthcoming about his substance use (or lack thereof), no credible evidence suggests that this was ever the case.

Right
Former President Trumps contentious relationship with his father, Fred Sr., is an important part of the former real estate tycoons narrative and personal history. The Apprentice takes great care to incorporate this into the films story, particularly with regard to the aforementioned Manhattan Hyatt. Early on in the film, Donald Trumps introduction to Roy Cohn is brought on by Cohns offer to assist with Fred Sr.s legal troubles, in which the federal government has accused the Trump patriarch of discriminating against Black tenants. This is based in fact: a federal investigation revealed that a building superintendent, hired by Trump Management, had been instructed to specifically deny Black tenants, while welcoming white ones. The Trumps settled with the government to avoid having to admit to the accusations.

Right
In an Apprentice scene meant to signify the final straw in Trump and Cohns rapidly deteriorating relationship, Trumps wife Ivana informs Cohn that a pair of diamond cufflinks, present to Cohn as a gift, are fake nothing more than cheap knockoffs. In fact, including the moment was Cohn actor Jeremy Strongs idea. Per Sherman, Jeremy had done so much research into his character, and when we were doing script notes, he told me that great story that I'd remembered but hadn't included it in the script about how Donald gifted Roy these fake diamond Tiffany cufflinks. However, the incident is likely fictionalized, as its unlikely that Ivana wouldve broken the news to Cohn.

Wrong
Admittedly, the answer to this question depends on whom you choose to believe. Former President Trump has personally denied any accusations of having gone under the knife: The Apprentice alleges that this was to combat his accelerating hair loss and weight gain. Once again, according to Gabriel Sherman, Ivana Trump testified that her ex-husband Donald got liposuction, scalp removal surgery, and was also taking diet pills. So that scene really was something that was backed by the record. When Trumps fictional doctor suggests that the future president takes up diet and exercise, Donald brushes him off by claiming that human beings have only a finite amount of physical energy which reflects actual claims hes made.

Inconclusive
In what is perhaps The Apprentices most shocking scene, Donald Trump is shown as assaulting his ex-wife Ivana in response to (what he interprets as) an attack on his libido. While the real Ivana did, indeed, state in a 1990 divorce deposition that this occurred, the circumstances were not exactly as depicted in Abbasis film. Citing Ivanas deposition, Gabriel Sherman explained that her then-husband was recovering from his scalp surgery and was having these debilitating headaches, [and] he flew into a rage and threw her down on the bed and pulled out her hair and assaulted her. Over the years, though, Ivana backtracked on this accusation, and toward the end of her life, maintained that she and Trump had remained close following their divorce.

Which part of director Ali Abbasis The Apprentice shocked you the most? Let us know!