Actor Sebastian Stan received his first major awards nomination for playing controversial politician Donald Trump in the biographical drama The apprentice.

Following the disputed November 2024 presidential election in which Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris to become the country’s president-elect, Stan received a nomination for Best Actor at the Film Independent Spirit Awards nominations announcement on Wednesday, marking his debut at the current awards race for the film directed by Ali Abbasi.

Abbasi also officially entered the awards race for his work as the film’s director. Indie Spirits nominated him for directing the project, while Olivier Bugge Coutté and Olivia Neergaard-Holm received Indie Spirit nominations for editing the film.

Ahead of Wednesday’s Indie Spirit nominations The apprenticeAwards prospects looked bleak, although the project generated a lot of buzz ahead of its May festival debut in Cannes, where it competed for the prestigious Palme d’Or.

The film – which tells a critical story of Trump’s formative early relationships with Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), Ivana Zelníčková (Maria Bakalova) and the cutthroat world of New York business – received solid reviews but fared significantly worse at the box office. With a budget of $16 million, it grossed just $4 million in North America and just over $8 million worldwide.

While Trump and his team have largely resisted the film’s portrayal of him (and threatened legal action), the cast and crew have insisted that they want him to further engage with the material.

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“I hope he sees the movie, but I actually don’t think he would,” Strong previously said Weekly entertainment. “I think there’s a lot in there that he would recognize. And I think there’s really nothing in this film that he hasn’t acknowledged and even bragged about at some point. I hope he sees it. That alone would make it worth doing.”

Stan added that he had “no idea” whether Trump would see the film. “It’s very hard for me to know how he reacts to anything, so I have no idea and can’t speak for him,” he said, later noting, “It seems like he has a lot going on, so.” I’m not sure he’ll have time, but if he wants to see it, I’m sure he knows who to call.

Next to Stan and The apprenticeIndie Spirits have also raised the awards profiles of key contenders, including Demi Moore (The substance), Danielle Deadwyler (The piano lesson), Colman Domingo (Singing Singing) and Mikey Madison (Anora), among other things.

The winners of the 2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards will be announced on February 22nd. The full list of nominees can be found on the Indie Spirits website.