By now, we’re all well-versed in the goings-on of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, colloquially known as Borat 2.
Chief among them, of course, is a scene in which noted fan of cousins Rudy Giuliani was caught in a vomit-inducing situation with Maria Bakalova, who plays Borat’s daughter Tutar in the Golden Globe-nominated comedy.
In a new interview with the Guardian, out Friday, Cohen reflected on the sequel being released so close to the 2020 presidential election between Giuliani-backed Trump and Joe Biden. According to Cohen, the Biden team was “very happy” with the Giuliani scene that quickly became a weeks-long topic in headlines and ultimately resulted in Giuliani responding by claiming he was merely tucking in his shirt during the incident.
“Suddenly he was having to try to explain that he wasn’t playing with himself,” Cohen said. “It was such a close election that everything in those final weeks was crucial.”
Elsewhere, Cohen reflected on his decision to not openly publicize the death threats he’s been getting since his Ali G days.
“We are in a very violent time. If you’re protesting against racism, you’re going to upset some racists,” he said.
Peep the full interview here.
Last month, Cohen joined Ben Affleck for a Variety “Actors on Actors” chat in which he further reflected on the Giuliani scene, expressing his concerns at the time that it could have easily become “an even more ugly situation.” And as for the possibility of a third Borat entry in the future, Cohen doesn’t see the point of undertaking such a project.
