NEW YORK, Feb 23, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - The director of a controversial movie about US President Donald Trump's younger years apologized Saturday after admitting to an "over-familiar" gesture towards an actor who later complained of being groped.

Ali Abbasi, a Danish-Iranian filmmaker, said on X that he was "truly sorry" for his behavior at a party that followed the Golden Globes awards ceremony in Los Angeles in January.

Abbasi's biopic "The Apprentice," released weeks before last year's US election, caused a stir with its unflattering representation of Trump, portraying him suffering erectile dysfunction and undergoing surgery for hair loss.

"I fully understand that my action made someone uncomfortable, regardless of my intent, and for that I am truly sorry," Abbasi wrote on social media of the groping incident.

He said that he "made an over-familiar gesture -- a slap on the rear" to a male acquaintance with whom he considered he had a friendly relationship, but said it was "intended as playful and not in any sexual way whatsoever."

"I quickly realized I had misjudged the situation. I apologized to him on the spot, and the following day I made sure my apology was reiterated through my representatives," Abbasi said.

The director refuted an account in The Hollywood Reporter that his talent agency, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), had dropped him due to the allegation against him.

"My decision to part ways was a long term career decision that was not shaped by short term motivations," he said.

"The Apprentice" is competing for Oscars in the categories of Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor.

It was released in US cinemas by indie studio Briarcliff Entertainment, as no major Hollywood studios were willing to risk distributing the polarizing movie.

The most talked-about scene shows Trump raping his first wife, Ivana, after she belittles him for growing overweight and bald.

In real life, Ivana accused Trump of raping her during divorce proceedings, but later rescinded the allegation. She died in 2022.