Maria Bakalova: The Apprentice isn't a Donald Trump biopic

Maria Bakalova doesn't consider 'The Apprentice' to be a Donald Trump "biopic".

The 27-year-old actress plays the former US president's first wife Ivana Trump in the movie about his business career during the 1970s and 80s and insists that Ali Abbasi's film is about more than just the controversial politician - who is portrayed by Sebastian Stan in the flick.

Maria told Deadline's Breaking Baz column at the Cannes Film Festival: "This is not a biopic. I don't see this as a biopic, because not every single detail of Trump's life exists in this movie.

"And I don't want to say this is a Trump movie. I think this is a bigger movie than just focused on one person that is not completely the same story. And it's inspired by him, but it's not a biopic for me."

'The Apprentice' implies that Ivana, who died in 2022 at the age of 73, was a key figure in her husband's business success and Maria embraced the chance to play the "larger-than-life character".

The 'Borat Subsequent Moviefilm' star said: "I think she's been very smart and knew how to get where she wanted to get, and had a lot to offer.

"It was very interesting, because she's this larger-than-life character. It's not a flat character. We did a lot of scenes. A lot of the scenes currently are not in the movie.

"But we got a chance to play with her and try different things – even the way she used her voice, because I was watching a lot of interviews. Sometimes she's speaking with a lower tone, sometimes she's speaking very feminine. And I feel like that's how she tried to express on another level."

Maria continued: "So we were thinking about building her layer so she can be feminine, she can be demanding, she can be outspoken yet soft-spoken and not be scared to say no to things and being a tough cookie, as Trump described her. And also standing up for the people that she loves and cares about.

"So Ali always talked to me about, 'Think about her, think about her. She's not just a regular person. She's this larger-than-life character. She's that woman. So play her with love and respect.' And I hope I did, because I fell in love with her."