Sacha Baron Cohen Explains Why He’s Not Making ‘Borat 3’
Written by SOURCE on February 24, 2021
Sacha Baron Cohen has already suggested that Borat Subsequent Moviefilm will be the last time we see his beloved character, and now he’s explained why.
In an interview with his Trial of the Chicago 7 co-stars Eddie Redmayne and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II for ET, Cohen seemed to imply that the danger he puts himself in to film as Borat is just too much of a safety risk. “It got too dangerous,” Cohen said. “Chicago 7 had its own challenges. You know, you’re working with some of the best actors in the world—two of them in front of you here—but for Borat, there were a couple of times I had to put on a bulletproof vest to go and shoot a scene, and you don’t want to do that too many times in your life. I was pretty lucky to get out this time, so no, I’m not doing it again. I’m going to stay with the scripted stuff.”
Just last month, the British comedian and actor said that he revived the beloved character because of Donald Trump. “There was a purpose to this movie, and I don’t really see the purpose to do it again,” he said of the fictional Kazakh journalist. As he revealed in a 2018 interview regarding his Showtime series Who Is America?, he’s had to use bulletproof items before. In particular, he pitched a plan to build a “mega mosque” to a group of people in Arizona in one episode, which prompted him to use a bulletproof clipboard.
As he explained during the interview, at points during the production of the Borat sequel he had to consider what he might have to do if he were shot. He also spoke about one of the sequel’s standout scenes in which he attends a far-right anti-lockdown rally in a double-disguise. He says the production team built “an amplifier that was basically bomb proof,” fearing that the situation could turn sour.
“The idea was the bulletproof vest would be able to take a couple of bullets, but if a bunch of people started shooting, I would jump behind this kind of big speaker,” he said. “Yeah, I don’t want to do it again. I got away with it. I’m not pushing my luck again.”
While he likely can’t shoot in America these days due to safety concerns, he could always return to the UK if he somehow manages to not give his identity away.
Earlier this month, Cohen revealed that Joe Biden’s presidential election team was “very happy” with the infamous Rudy Giuliani scene. “Suddenly he was having to try to explain that he wasn’t playing with himself,” he said. “It was such a close election that everything in those final weeks was crucial.”
