Sacha Baron Cohen Defends Borat Scene With Rudy Giuliani: ’Heaven Knows What He’s Done With Other Female Journalists’
Screenshot via YouTube.
Sacha Baron Cohen defended his latest movie’s most infamous scene in an appearance on Good Morning America Friday, scoffing at Rudy Giuliani‘s claims of innocence, saying, “if the president’s lawyer found what he did there appropriate behavior, then heaven knows what he’s done with other female journalists in hotel rooms.”
Cohen was on the ABC morning show along with his co-star, Bulgarian actress Maria Bakalova, to promote their new film, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, which is now streaming on Amazon Prime.
The comedy has generated many headlines (as well as mocking tweets and memes) for a scene with Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City and President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer. The plot of the film has Borat and his daughter (played by Bakalova) seeking to curry favor with the Trump administration, including attempting to marry the girl off to a Trump insider.The controversial scene involves her posing as a journalist, and getting Giuliani to meet her in a hotel suite for an interview.
The interview concludes and she invites Giuliani to the bedroom for a drink. Hidden cameras capture him patting her on the hip, and lying back on the bed and putting his hands down his pants, when Borat bursts into the room.
Giuliani slammed the video as a “complete fabrication,” insisted he did nothing “inappropriate,” and was just tucking in his shirt — a defense that Twitter found very laughable — and the whole escapade has created a massive promotional buzz for the movie.
Bakalova’s character is supposed to be 15 years old, but the actress is actually 24, so most likely Giuliani was not doing anything criminal, but the whole thing is truly cringe-inducing to watch — as GMA host Amy Robach commented, “it’s not morning TV friendly.”
Cohen shrugged off Giuliani’s defense of his behavior, telling Robach, “If the president’s lawyer found what he did there appropriate behavior, then heaven knows what he’s done with other female journalists in hotel rooms.”
“I just urge everyone to watch the movie. It is what it is. He did what he did,” Cohen added as Bakalova, seated next to him, chuckled. “And make your own mind up…it was pretty clear to us.”
Bakalova expressed her gratitude to Cohen for interrupting whatever it was that might have happened in that room with Giuliani. “I want to thank you, that I was sure you were going to save me from everything.”
Cohen explained that he was “quite concerned for you during the scene,” but was able to monitor the action the entire time from a hideaway structure nearby, and took his responsibility for her safety very seriously, as the film’s producer.
“I’ve always felt safe with our team, with our crew, with Sacha in my corner,” said Bakalova. “I actually never felt that I’ve been in danger. That’s why I’m lucky, because I had them.”
Cohen and Bakalova also shared some behind-the-scenes secrets from the film, including how they pulled off crashing Vice President Mike Pence’s CPAC speech, and Bakalova’s audition process.
Watch the segment above, via YouTube.
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