Bulgarian-born Bakalova plays Czechoslovakian-American Ivana Trump opposite Romanian-born Sebstian Stans astute portrayal of Donald Trump.
They married in 1977 when, perhaps, excess and bad taste werent as frowned upon it is today.
Draped over her shoulders would be a sable, a mink or a chinchilla coat.
Maria BakalovaBaz Bamigboye/Deadline
Once in a while, on cold nights, shed manage to combine all three types of fur.
On reflection, the opulence was obscene, but back then the idea that greed is good was omnipresent.
Bakalovas Ivana, perhaps more than any other character inThe Apprentice,epitomizes those times.
Ivana Trump at the 1988 Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards (Getty Images)Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
Oh my God, shes been such an icon with everything, Bakalova cries.
Yes, shoulder pads.
Because its giving you the feeling of, I own this, I have the power.
Its also out there.
And being able to belong.
I suggest that Bakalova plays her as a great survivor.
I hope so, she responds.
In her 1989 divorce deposition, Ivana claimed that Trump raped her once.
Its a brutally horrific moment.
Scrawled out in capital letters in my notebook is one word.
Forgive me for asking this, I say to Bakalova, but how would she categorize that devastating moment?
We had an intimacy coordinator who was incredible.
We had a stunt coordinator.
She continues: So for me, I see it as a cinematic piece, a cinematic scene.
And I think its important for the arc of the characters.
And Sebastian was also great.
And did Abbasi erase the set?
Yes, we had a clear set.
It was absolutely perfectly organized, she says.
And how will this I dont know change the focus of your life in the future?
And she did survive, seemingly on her own terms.
Bakalova nods in agreement.
I think she did.
And shes famous for that specific quote, Dont get mad, get everything.
Well, the scene has always been in the script.
And I think its again, important for the arc of my characters.
And I attempt to look at this.
This is not a biopic.
And I dont want to say this is a Trump movie.
And its inspired by him, but its not a biopic for me.
So we used bullet points of real people as inspiration.
Same with the script in general.
I think the events in the script are important for the story that were sharing.
You might criticize it, you might sympathize, but as long as you feel something, its important.
Her Ivana seemingly dispenses with the misogynistic myth of a dumb blonde.
Bakalova leaps on that one pretty darn fast.
Well, shes not naturally a blonde, she states.
To be able to prepare, to play her with respect and dignity.
Theres not a lot of footage from the 70s, but there is 80s and 90s.
And shes been so outspoken about everything.
And she still went out there and was outspoken, and everything that she wanted to say is inspiring.
Like growing up in communistic Czechoslovakia, pursuing the dream of being a competitive skier.
Then moving to Canada to pursue a better life.
But Trump was not her first love though, I say.
Well, what can I say?
I think Ivana didnt shy away from the fact that she wanted to share her love, Bakalova says.
She wanted to live life.
And she was all about that, she argues.
The result is that her best performances are effortless.
Shes not at all weighed down by the roles she plays, at least not outwardly.
But I saw Ali Abbasi directing.
And I started reading it, and I was like, OK, hold a minute.
The role that Ill be reading for, its going to be Ivana Trump.
It sounds familiar again.
I dont know a lot about her.
Only that shes Eastern European.
Shes been an athlete.
And you recognize the last name, but not a lot of information.
So I read this quickly.
I love the story.
I was proven wrong that I should not be judging just by the title.
Its the American dream that we all know about.
Everybody says that she had all this hair, and I just put a lot of volume in it.
And we did it.
It was very interesting, because shes this larger-than-life character.
Its not a flat character.
We did a lot of scenes.
A lot of the scenes currently are not in the movie, she lamented.
Sometimes shes speaking with a lower tone, sometimes shes speaking very feminine.
And I feel like thats how she tried to express on another level.
And also standing up for herself, standing up for the people that she loves and cares about.
So Ali always talked to me about, Think about her, think about her.
Shes not just a regular person.
Shes this larger-than-life character.
So play her with love and respect.
And I hope I did, because I fell in love with her.
Its a terrific performance, as are the ones by Stan and Strong.
