Cohen talks Borat, Ali G but Bruno…not so much

Being from the UK, I was one of the first to witness Sacha Baron Cohen’s linguistically challenged character, Ali G. Having found a fan base more shows were made, introducing us to the one and only Borat, and gay Austrian Bruno. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan was a huge hit last year, making Borat, and Cohen himself, a household name. Although the film being a success was good for Cohen, it was not so good for Borat, as he told the Telegraph.

Admitting I am never going to play them [Borat and Ali G] again is quite a sad thing,” he says. “It’s like saying goodbye to a loved one. It is hard, and the problem with success, although it’s fantastic, is that every new person who sees the Borat movie is one less person I ‘get’ with Borat again, so it’s kind of self-defeating form, really. It’s upsetting, but the success has been great.

Although there is a chance people do not recognise him, a second Borat outing would have to be better than what we got last year, and that will be tough. Instead, we are getting Bruno, who will no doubt test how the American public act when confronted by the flamboyant Austrian. When asked abut the project, Cohen fell silent. After the success of Borat there was a bidding war that included such Hollywood powerhouses as DreamWorks, Sony, and 20th Century Fox; Universal Pictures paid a reported $42.5 million for the rights to the movie. According to insiders, Baron Cohen himself is getting paid $13 million upfront, and will also receive 15% of the box office take. That means if the film does as well as Borat, Baron Cohen stands to make approximately $30 million.