Sacha Baron Cohen quits 'Borat' over 'risk' of playing role

Publish date: 2024-08-06

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Borat is hanging up his iconic gray suit for good.

On Sunday, Sacha Baron Cohen, 49, told Golden Globes viewers that last year’s “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” the long-anticipated follow-up to 2006’s “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” would be his last with the beloved character.

“The gray suit is locked up and not coming out again,” Cohen said during a question-and-answer session during the virtual awards ceremony, which saw three nominations — and two wins — for the “Borat” sequel.

The British satirist took the award for best actor in a musical or comedy film for his final turn as the bumbling Kazakh broadcaster. The film itself also won a Golden Globe for the best musical or comedy movie category. Co-star Maria Bakalova, who played Borat’s teenage daughter — and foil to Rudy Giuliani — Tutar, was also nominated for best actress in a musical or comedy.

“This was probably the most dangerous project I had to work on,” said Baron Cohen, who previously revealed that he wore a bulletproof vest while filming — which came in handy after Borat crashed a Second Amendment rights rally in Washington state, prompting a riot among angry gun-toters.

“We felt that the risks were worth taking,” he explained. “I was just very worried about Trump and Trumpism and the election and our democracy was at risk.”

“There were situations I would never go back to do again. The gray suit is locked up and not coming out again,” the filmmaker said.

Despite threats on his life, Baron Cohen, 49, is proud of what he suggests was a vital work of political parody.

“Had Trump won on November 3, and I hadn’t been able to make this movie, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself,” he concluded.

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