‘The Apprentice’ Director Ali Abbasi Separates from Representation Following Inappropriate Conduct Allegations

A new report alleges that Abbasi was accused of groping an A-list actor at CAA’s Golden Globes after-party last month.

In a case of life imitating art imitating life, the writer/director of Donald Trump origin story and now Oscar contender “The Apprentice,” Ali Abbasi, has been accused of groping an unnamed A-list actor at CAA‘s Golden Globes after-party last month. As a result, Abbasi has separated from his U.S. representatives at Creative Arts Agency, Entertainment 360, and the law firm of Granderson Des Rochers, but still retains UK representation through Lark Management.

First reported in Deadline, sources told the outlet Abbasi was intoxicated at the after-party and made unwanted advances toward the fellow CAA client. The agency apparently responded by reprimanding Abbasi and demanding he apologize to the actor. It is unclear whether such an apology was given or whether Abbasi was dropped or left these firms of his own volition.

IndieWire has reached out to CAA, Entertainment 360, and Lark for comment, but received no response as of publication.

In a statement given to Deadline, Abbasi wrote, “I can confirm that I’ve made the decision to move in a new direction with my career. I’m grateful for the work CAA and Entertainment 360 have done, particularly their commitment to ‘The Apprentice,’ which remains a project I’m incredibly proud of. I look forward to announcing my next steps at the appropriate time.”

The twisted irony underneath this entire situation is how Abbasi’s star has risen as a result of the controversy surrounding his latest film, which itself is a study of one of the most controversial figures in recent history.

“The Apprentice” features Sebastian Stan as a young Donald Trump and Jeremy Strong as his mentor, the McCarthy-era litigator Roy Cohn. Both performers are nominated at the upcoming Academy Awards for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively, but the film almost didn’t make it to theaters after its U.S. distribution deal was blocked by one of the film’s producers, Trump donor Daniel Snyder.

Briarcliff Entertainment eventually swooped in to save the day. A big reason for this block by Snyder likely involved a scene in the film depicting Trump physically and sexually assaulting his then-wife Ivana.

Speaking to IndieWire at the New York City premiere of “The Apprentice,” Abbasi ruminated on how he believed Trump would respond to watching his film: “Do I think he’s gonna love it? Probably not. Do I think he’s gonna hate it? I don’t think so. Honestly, I think he would see our desire to depict them as human beings and whatever he thinks of that, I would be excited to hear what he thinks.”