When Donald Trump Demanded a Scene To Be Filmed in 'Scent of A Woman' That Got Cut From the Movie
Former president Donald Trump has appeared famously in films like The Apprentice, Two Weeks Notice, Bombshell, and many more. Apparently, the leader of the Republican Party insisted that he would be involved in any movie that was filmed on his property. In 2017, Scent of A Woman star Chris O’Donnell disclosed that Trump had recorded a brief scene for the 1992 Al Pacino movie, but the recording was later deleted.
As per The Telegraph, speaking to television comedian Conan O'Brien on an episode of his show Conan, O'Donnell revealed that Trump was "cast" in the Al Pacino movie because he gave the filmmakers permission to utilize The Plaza, a New York hotel he owned at the time. "It was explained to us that in order to film at the Plaza, we had to have a little walk-on part for Donald and Marla," O’Donnell shared.
O'Donnell continued: "What was amazing was that he came through hair and make-up; he ate on the set. But he looked the same going into hair and make-up as he did when he left. So I don't really know what went on in there." The Vertical Limit actor further explained that, following an external scene, footage of the future president and his then-wife, Marla Maples, pulling up in a car and arriving inside the hotel was captured.
As per The Independent reports, when questioned about Trump's involvement, O'Donnell told O'Brien, “It was nothing; it got cut from the movie.” “They were throwing that footage away as he was leaving,” O’Brien instantly mocked the situation, reports The Vanity Fair. The movie, for which Pacino received an Oscar for Best Actor, centers on O'Donnell's prep school student who accepts a job helping Pacino's irascible, blind, and medically retired Army officer Frank Slade.
Incidentally, Home Alone 2 was shot in the same Plaza Hotel, and Trump scored screen time for the same. However, his scene was once again chopped from viewing. As reported by CNN, in 2019, a few hours after the President told military personnel serving abroad that he was honored to be in "one of the biggest" Christmas hits, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC) released the movie without President Trump's cameo. The Canadian network said that the film had been "edited for time" in response to a request for feedback from CNN at the time. “The scene with Donald Trump was one of several that were cut from the movie, as none of them were integral to the plot,” the statement read. “These edits were done in 2014 when we first acquired the film and before Mr. Trump was elected President.”
Later in 2020, during an exclusive interview with Insider, the director of Home Alone 2, Chris Colombus, revealed that Trump forced himself into the cameo. “Trump said OK. We paid the fee, but he also said, ‘The only way you can use the Plaza is if I’m in the movie,’” Columbus said. “So we agreed to put him in the movie, and when we screened it for the first time, the oddest thing happened: people cheered when Trump showed up on-screen. So I said to my editor, ‘Leave him in the movie. It’s a moment for the audience.’ But he did bully his way into the movie."
