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Sacha Baron Cohen is done starring in over-the-top comedies.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 55-year-old actor confirmed that his new film, “Ali G: Who Iz I?”, will be his last in the risky, character-driven comedic style that made him famous.
“I want to do things that challenge me,” he told the outlet. “Again, I’m not doing ‘Borat 3,’ which would also be an incredibly difficult challenge. Again, this movie I just made is the hardest movie I’ve ever made, but I’m not doing more.”
The actor said he was done with this style of comedy in the past, but decided to make this film because he is “terrified of the direction our society is going” and sees his comedy as a way to comment on it.
Cohen says he won’t make comedies like “Borat” anymore. (Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)
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He explained that through his films he can “show extremism on both sides of the political spectrum and the danger of righteous violence.” He added that ultimately he also wanted to “make the funniest movie ever made.”
“These are definitely the most difficult films to make, but I guess I did it because I’m afraid of this world of conspiracies and lies spread by social media and now by AI,” he said. “If we don’t share these facts, then democracies will collapse and we won’t be able to have a tolerant society. And making people laugh is therapy.”
Cohen’s first breakthrough came in 2000, with “Da Ali G Show,” and he later gained international recognition with the release of “Borat” in 2006.
He followed that up with “Bruno,” “The Dictator,” “Who is America” and “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” as well as some dramatic roles in “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” “Les Misérables” and “Disclaimer.”
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Cohen made his name playing characters such as Borat and Bruno. (Steve Granitz/WireImage)
Throughout the interview, Cohen explained that these comedies “are dangerous to make” and are “incredibly demanding” on the body, but that he and his team are “trying to limit the risks and keep everyone safe.”
He described the final scene of his latest project as “an eight-hour continuous scene that takes place across 12 locations” with many different elements, filmed as “one continuous shot.”
“There are gunshots. There is a medical procedure. There are drones, there are explosions, and it’s happening in the desert,” he said. “On the way to filming, I ran into one of the big stunt guys and he said to me, ‘You’ll go to the hospital if you do this movie,’ because I explained that I was wearing a prosthetic head in a big suit. He said, ‘You’ll be so dehydrated you’ll be in the hospital for two weeks.'”
The “Balls Up” star explained that he hired “an endurance specialist who does the Tour de France” to be by his side throughout filming and that, despite the precautions, “a number of people went to the hospital for dehydration.”
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Cohen said a number of people went to the hospital for dehydration during the filming of “”Ali G: Who Iz I?” (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
Despite how it may seem, Cohen assured fans that he “will never make a scene if I think I’m actually going to die.”
“I was about to do a scene (in ‘Borat 1’) and we had a cop who had his gun on his thigh and I said, ‘Why is your gun on your thigh?’ He replies, “Well, I have to be very quick to draw in this area. » I said, “Well, how close are you to me?” And he said, “I’ll be with you in three minutes.” I realized it wasn’t a good thing to do, so I removed that scene.”
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Cohen received an Oscar nomination for writing both Borat films. (Rick Rycroft-Pool/Getty Images)
On the other hand, however, Cohen agreed to film a scene at a gun rights rally for the second “Borat” movie, knowing there was a chance he could be shot, but said, “I thought it was an important movie to make.”
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His risk-taking paid off, as he received two Oscar nominations for writing “Borat” and its sequel, in 2007 and 2021 respectively.
He also received an acting nomination for his role in “The Trial of the Chicago Seven.”
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