PLOT THICKENS

Sacha Baron Cohen Reveals New Details About Controversial Movie

The comedian brought out his most famous character for the film’s new trailer.

Sacha Baron Cohen, 54, unveiled key details about his controversial new movie, Ali G: Who Iz I?

In a new trailer for the film, Baron Cohen revealed that the movie will feature not only his iconic character Ali G, but also two other characters Baron Cohen created for his 2018 political satire and mockumentary show, Who Is America? In that Showtime series, an unrecognizable Baron Cohen heavily disguised himself and duped high-profile officials.

Ali G: Who Iz I? will also include Baron Cohen as Dr. Nira Cain-N’Degeocello, an ultraliberal gender studies professor, and Erran Morad, a retired Israeli Defense Forces colonel, ex-Mossad agent, and anti-terrorism expert.

Posing as his legendary Khazak journalist character, Borat, Baron Cohen announced, “Cohen have made this documentary by infiltrating American society undiscovered for past two years. How did they do this? By shapeshifting, of course, into three different devils.”

In his previous series, Baron Cohen-as-Nira duped conservative talk radio host Austin Rhodes during a 90-minute on-air radio interview; as Morad, Baron Cohen pranked former Alabama U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore by bringing to their interview an electronic device that he said could detect pedophiles, which beeped at Moore. Moore filed a $95 million defamation suit against the comedian, but Baron Cohen defeated it.

Baron Cohen also memorably interviewed the since-deceased Vice President Dick Cheney for Who Is America? in 2018. The actor asked Cheney to autograph a makeshift “waterboard kit,” which Cheney agreed to without much hesitation.

“That’s the first time I’ve ever signed a waterboard,” Cheney said at the time.

Additionally, Baron Cohen’s Morad interviewed gun rights activist Philip Van Cleave, whom he duped into participating in an elaborate firearms training video aimed at toddlers. In the segment, Van Cleave giddily showed kids how to wield “Gunimals” like “Puppy Pistol” and the “Uzi-corn” to make bad guys take a “long nap.” He even sang a song urging kids to aim at the “Head, shoulders, not the toes, not the toes.”

In the new Ali G trailer, Baron Cohen embodied his legendary character Borat to issue a “grave warning about new movie film from dastardly Sasha Cohen” and to satirically “urge you do not watch this movie film in the cinemas on October 23rd.” Borat has two “movie films,” both of which feature the character humiliating conservative Americans, including prominent figures like Rudy Giuliani.

The new Ali G trailer follows the film’s first teaser, which sparked major backlash and allegations of racism. The film centers on British wannabe hip-hop artist Ali G, who dons fake dreadlocks and a Rastafarian hat, as he navigates his girlfriend’s pregnancy.

Social media users have called for U.K. theaters to refuse to screen the film over concerns that the caricature promotes racist stereotypes. According to media bias organization NewsCord, more than 37,000 fans have joined the campaign to ask local theaters to block the film.

Baron Cohen knows the film is risky, but he’s unapologetic about creating it. He shared the movie’s first trailer in a tweet, writing, “In an age where a comedian’s career can be ended by a single un-PC joke, I thought I’d play it safe and bring this guy back.”

“They have been reportings that this film is racist,” Baron Cohen-as-Borat said in the new trailer. “We have seen it, and sadly it is not.”

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Dana Herrnstadt Editorial Intern, Obsessed

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