Earlier this week, Trump said in a statement: “My former wife, Ivana, was a kind and wonderful person, and I had a great relationship with her until the day she died.”
He added: “So sad that human scum, like the people involved in this hopefully unsuccessful [movie], are allowed to say and do whatever they want in order to hurt a political movement, which is far bigger than any of us.”
Trump’s threat to sue deterred some buyers at Cannes, but Briarcliff Entertainment eventually picked up the film for distribution in the US and Canada.
Asked about the sexual assault scene, Abbasi said: “My approach is this is of importance because it’s a rupture, a hugely important character point, the relationship between Donald and Ivana, and really it’s the tragedy that’s important, not the controversy.”
Asked about researching Ivana Trump, Bakalova said: “It’s been good to see a woman ahead of her time, she wanted to be hand-in-hand in the business with him. Yes, taking care of the kids as well… but she’d been a businesswoman, and I think she’s been influential.”