Sacha Baron Cohen denies that the Rudy Giuliani scene inBorat 2is fake, noting that the former New York City Mayor “did what he did.” Late Tuesday night, press screenings for theBoratsequel went out, and within a few hours, Giuliani’s name was trending on social media. By Wednesday morning, he was all over the news. In the movie, 76-year old Giuliani appears in a controversial scene with 24-year old actress Maria Bakalova, who portrays Borat’s 15-year old daughter.
Rudy Giulianiwaited until late Wednesday to make a statement about his involvement inBorat 2on social media. “The Borat video is a complete fabrication. I was tucking in my shirt after taking off the recording equipment,” he said. This is well before the footage was widely available and after an image of himself tucking in his shirt went viral. “At no time before, during, or after the interview was I ever inappropriate. If Sacha Baron Cohen implies otherwise he is a stone-cold liar.”
As it turns out,Sacha Baron Cohenis claiming otherwise. In an interview with Good Morning America conducted on Friday morning, Cohen responded, “I would say that if the president’s lawyer found what he did there appropriate behavior then heaven knows what he’s doing with other female journalists in hotel rooms.” Cohen did not stop there. “I just urge everyone to watch the movie. It is what it is. He did what he did. Make your own mind up. It was pretty clear to us.” Rudy Giuliani has yet to respond to the scene since the movie was released late Thursday night.
Maria Bakalova was also interviewedand commented on the safety of the set ofBorat 2. “I’ve always felt safe with our team, with our crew, with Sacha in my corner,” Bakalova said. “I actually never felt that I’ve been in danger. That’s why I’m lucky, because I had them.” Sacha Baron Cohen responded by stating, “It’s my responsibility as a producer as well to ensure that the lead actor is looked after.” During the Rudy Giuliani scene, Cohen revealed that he was actually in a special compartment within the hotel room that the crew built for him, just in case anything went wrong.
Back in July, Rudy Giuliani told reporters thatSacha Baron Cohen had attempted to “get him”, but he did not succeed. Giuliani also notified the NYPD about the matter. No charges were filed, though it’s unclear what Giuliani will do now thatBorat 2is currently streaming on Amazon Prime. In related news, Sacha Baron Cohen released a video as Borat earlier this week, defending Giuliani in a hilarious video. you’re able to check out the interview with Sacha Baron Cohen and Maria Bakalova above, thanks to theGood Morning America Twitteraccount.
