Camilla Jessen
Inside Melania Trump’s carefully managed new documentary.
Melania Trump has long maintained a distance from the public eye, appearing selectively and often on her own terms.
Now, a high-budget documentary is offering a rare look at how the First Lady wants to be seen.
Those closest to the project say the process revealed a far more hands-on and deliberate figure than many observers expected.
A controlled spotlight
The $40 million (£29 million) Amazon documentary Melania is set for release after months of filming around the First Lady’s daily life as she prepared for Donald Trump’s second inauguration.
According to Marc Beckman, Melania Trump’s senior adviser and agent, she played a central role in directing how the film was made.
“It was the First Lady’s idea to buy that advertising,” Beckman told The Sunday Times, referring to a 60-second black-and-white teaser shown on the Sphere arena in Las Vegas. “She is very detail-orientated.”
Behind the camera
Beckman said Melania Trump was deeply involved in the production process, from camera placement to post-production decisions.
“She knows what to do with lighting. She was directing the crew on set as to where to place the cameras. She gets involved in the edits, the colour correction and the music selection,” he said, describing her approach as unusually hands-on.
The documentary was directed by Brett Ratner, who, according to Beckman, was struck by her command of the filmmaking process, saying it was “as if she’d been working in Hollywood for ever.”
A shift in approach
During Donald Trump’s first presidency, Melania Trump was often described as distant or withdrawn.
Mary Jordan, author of The Art of Her Deal, previously noted that “Melania does what Melania wants. She is fiercely independent and won’t do something just because other people do it.”
Beckman now suggests her stance has changed. “Now she’s got a new attitude on everything and she wants to be action orientated,” he said.
Image and independence
According to Beckman, Melania Trump is carefully shaping a distinct personal brand. “Melania’s vision is very symmetrical, right angles, black and white,” he said. “It’s all about supporting this luxury brand that she’s building.”
The documentary includes moments intended to show her personality more directly. In one scene featured in the trailer, she responds coolly when Donald Trump calls to ask if she watched his speech: “No I did not,” she says, before adding, “I will see it on the news.”
Katherine Jellison, a historian who studies US First Ladies, said the film suggests a more assertive role.
She described the portrayal as “not the mysterious, sphinx-like Melania,” but “someone in control of their destiny” and “trying to have more of her own voice in the second administration.”
Sources: The Sunday Times, Mirror
