Jeremy Strong's 'The Apprentice': A Succession to Roy Cohn's Legacy?

Jeremy Strong's New Film: The Perfect Post-Succession Project!

From Kendall Roy to Roy Cohn: Jeremy Strong's Continued Exploration of Power and Corruption

It's been just over a year since Succession ended, leaving fans reeling from its wild and dramatic finale! But Jeremy Strong, that incredible actor who played the complex and often unlikeable Kendall Roy, has already found his next act! He now stars in Ali Abbasi's The Apprentice, and this new role, portraying the infamous Roy Cohn, feels like a perfectly natural continuation of his career. It's as if this actor was made specifically for these roles.

The Apprentice, starring Strong and Sebastian Stan as Roy Cohn and Donald Trump respectively, explores that pivotal mentorship in the 1970s and '80s. This new movie features two incredibly recognizable and controversial historical figures. This explores that critical mentorship between these powerful figures: Cohn, the ruthless attorney known for prosecuting communists (and securing death penalties) is portrayed as instilling that "winner's mentality" into a young Trump. And, well, let's be real; it completely explores the disturbing transformation of that character from an arrogant rich kid into something almost monstrous – completely lacking any kind of humane restraint. It is interesting and chilling in equal parts.

Also Read: The Apprentice Movie: Sebastian Stan as Trump - Release Date, Controversy & More

Strong's Niche: Exploring the Dark Side of the American Elite

Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump in The Apprentice Image

Strong's career shows his clear fondness and dedication towards exploring complex characters within those larger thematic plots concerning aspects that are troubling within American life. The Apprentice, featuring the real-life Roy Cohn, perfectly dovetails his past work in that exploration, even mentioning in The Late Show With Stephen Colbert that Cohn was "one of the worst humans of the 20th century." It displays how well Strong truly can dive deep into roles to completely emphasize those darker aspects and is incredibly proficient in using every aspect he’s capable of within the roles.

The film follows Trump's transformation, as guided by the very specific, cynical teachings from Roy Cohn, depicting the birth of this infamous character into something truly frightening, completely removing the concept of empathy or mercy from his decision-making process. And these themes mirror some very strong aspects previously explored in Succession: the corrupt Logan Roy, the power-hungry Jeryd Mencken— those power dynamics are eerily similar and those elements only improve the quality through such intentional and careful creative design. Those creative parallels perfectly convey similar thematic aspects, emphasizing similar concerns for a new context entirely, demonstrating that this creative continuation of exploring similar concerns was deliberate!

Also Read: The Apprentice Movie Review: A Controversial Biopic of Donald Trump

The Apprentice and Succession: A Study in Human Tragedy and American Corruption

Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn and Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump in The Apprentice Image

Both The Apprentice and Succession are not just focused on plot! It’s ultimately about exploring human nature, especially the human elements involved in that greater struggle and depicting characters in relation to what happened in the past; it showcases these intricate motivations through well-crafted narratives with both a sense of mystery but those deep psychological investigations which also serve as social commentary!

While some critics criticize The Apprentice for "humanizing" Trump and Cohn, it should be important to remember that is never attempted. Both these movies don’t aim to justify or simply sympathize – it is shown completely plainly. This actually highlights their moral flaws; focusing instead on the critical, important aspect surrounding how these problematic behaviors occurred. It's even more stark than those characters seen in Succession. The story of Kendall Roy’s corruption, shown during the pivotal ending, really emphasizes those similar struggles within an arguably more disturbing framework and emphasizes the terrible choices and motivations behind various terrible deeds! It shows a path to similar negative consequences and is just as powerful as the ending from Succession.

Also Read: CDOs, Mortgage Bonds, and That Warning: The Big Short Ending Explained.

Jeremy Strong’s Career: A Consistent Theme of Societal Critique

Strong's choice in roles is striking: this dedication to portray characters with powerful insights that ultimately also convey some important criticism of society's current states. He explores similar premises before Succession: He worked with Adam McKay on The Big Short (a scathing take on the 2008 housing crisis) and The Trial of the Chicago 7 (another profound examination of justice, this time exploring the events in 1969). Even winning a Tony Award in 2024 for his work in An Enemy of the People (a doctor battling corruption!). Strong picks strong, deeply relevant subjects!

Also Read: Russell Crowe's Exorcism Flop: Bad News For 'The Pope's Exorcist 2'?

Conclusion: Jeremy Strong’s Powerful Choices for Those Memorable Roles

Jeremy Strong as Vinny Daniel on the phone, looking concerned in The Big Short Image

The Apprentice is a total masterstroke—a perfect next role that emphasizes those creative capacities that Strong has excelled at demonstrating for such a long time. It builds upon his already impressive talents; delivering insights on how some of those aspects involved within his roles greatly shaped him as an actor and also conveys the level of emotional resonance inherent in portraying morally ambiguous characters in critically impactful storylines!

The dedication towards showing critical aspects in both personal choices and what may affect many audiences watching this critically important movie is extremely valuable; providing social insights in clever yet obvious ways. He uses this particular method frequently. His body of work isn’t simply delivering entertainment – it creates thoughtful storytelling that makes viewers think and adds meaning.