A crew member who worked on Melania Trump’s upcoming documentary has alleged that staff were not allowed to take meal breaks during at least one long day of filming, raising questions about working conditions behind the scenes of the high-profile project.
The first lady’s self-titled film, directed by Brett Ratner and distributed by Amazon Prime Video, is scheduled to premiere at the Kennedy Centre in Washington, D.C., on January 29 before arriving in theatres on January 30. As the release approaches, several people involved in the production have begun sharing their experiences, with some describing the environment as stressful and disorganised.
One crew member claimed that on a particular day, workers were unable to take a break to eat and were not allowed to bring outside food onto the set. According to that person, the situation felt especially frustrating because the director did not appear to be subject to the same restrictions.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, the individual alleged, “Brett, unknowingly or maliciously, got his own food, went up there, was just eating it and just licking his fingers in grubbiest way possible, either being a d–k or [having] no awareness whatsoever to the fact that everybody else is working and no one’s eating.”
Others suggested that the broader production process was equally difficult. A source said the shoot became increasingly chaotic as the team raced to capture footage of the first lady in the lead-up to the president’s inauguration.
To manage the schedule, three separate production units were operating simultaneously in Florida, Washington, D.C., and New York. Each location had its own cinematographer, including Jeff Cronenweth, Dante Spinotti, and Barry Peterson, all of whom filmed different segments for the final cut.
One crew member described the workload as intense, recalling how they filmed Melania Trump aboard a Boeing 757 while she travelled to Mar-a-Lago. After completing the shoot, they reportedly had to arrange their own transportation home from Palm Beach.
“People worked really hard. Really long hours, highly disorganised, very chaotic,” Another source added, “It wasn’t easy money. It was very difficult because of the chaos that was around everything.… Usually, for a documentary, it’s like, ‘Oh, follow the subject.’ Well, it’s Melania Trump.
With the first lady and Secret Service, you can’t just do things you usually do.” Some crew members have also expressed discomfort about being publicly associated with the project. One person claimed that about two-thirds of those who worked on the New York portion of the film asked not to be formally credited.
Another individual who will appear in the credits said they regretted the decision after witnessing the first year of Donald Trump’s second term. “I’m much more alarmed now than I was a year ago,” they admitted. Despite their concerns, several people described Melania Trump herself as “totally nice” during filming.
Early box office expectations appear modest. Entertainment columnist Rob Shuter reported that projections suggest the film could open in the low single-digit millions domestically. One source told his Naughty But Nice newsletter, “In New York, only a handful of seats have been booked. Palm Beach is no better. Even in Trump country, theaters are practically empty.”
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