Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige praises Sebastian Stan‘s work on The Apprentice prior to Bucky Barnes’ MCU return in Thunderbolts*. Fourteen years after Stan’s MCU debut in Captain America: The First Avenger, Bucky Barnes joins a superhero team of his own in Jake Schreier’s Thunderbolts*. Parallel to Bucky Barnes’ MCU journey, Sebastian Stan has built an impressive career that includes credits in movies and shows such as I, Tonya, The Devil All The Time, and Pam & Tommy. In 2024, Sebastian Stan took his career to the next level with the critically acclaimed A Different Man and The Apprentice.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Kevin Feige celebrates Sebastian Stan’s acclaimed performances in A Different Man and The Apprentice, which earned him a Golden Globe award and an Academy Award nomination, respectively. Stan previously said an unidentified studio CEO advised him against playing Donald Trump, as it could “alienate half the country.” Read Kevin Feige’s full comment below:
“To see him winning a Golden Globe for one movie and then being nominated for an Academy Award for another movie in the same year is pretty darn impressive.”
Sebastian Stan Is Taking Risks That Pay Off
Sebastian Stan could easily rely on his MCU paycheck and take easy roles in other projects, or none at all. But Stan has been consistently showing how versatile his acting chops really are. Both A Different Man and The Apprentice‘s protagonist roles are challenging in multiple ways, and at the same time, they couldn’t be more different from each other. Stan also went through drastic physical transformations for both roles, which required him to stay true to the fictionalized lives of two real people with extremely different backgrounds and personalities.
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Additionally, Sebastian Stan walked a delicate line in his performances in A Different Man and The Apprentice. A Different Man‘s exploration of a man with neurofibromatosis risked being insensitive, but it handled its subject matter with respect. On the opposite side of the spectrum, The Apprentice‘s take on Donald Trump’s early life risked coming off as a full-fledged tribute, but it left his portrayal open to interpretation. A big part of these movies’ nuance relied on Sebastian Stan’s skills, and Stan’s award nominations prove he did a great job.
Sebastian Stan Doesn’t Leave His MCU Roots Behind As He Adds Variety To His Filmography
Sebastian Stan is playing quite a different character from A Different Man‘s Edward and The Apprentice‘s Donald Trump by going back to the MCU with another chapter in Bucky Barnes’ story. In Thunderbolts*, Bucky Barnes finds a new family in his fellow anti-heroes, and he’ll likely see his painful past from a new angle. Bucky will probably end his congressman stint early to fight again, but he may be more comfortable using his Super Soldier abilities after leaving his Winter Soldier programming behind and empathizing with similar former assassins.
Source: Vanity Fair
Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
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May 2, 2025
- Runtime
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126 Minutes
- Director
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Jake Schreier
- Writers
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Eric Pearson, Joanna Calo