Ahead of the release of the Borat sequel, Sacha Baron Cohen is recounting how with one particular prank for the film, he was "fortunate to make it out in one piece."
The comedian penned an essay for Time on Thursday speaking out against President Trump, Facebook, the spread of dangerous conspiracy theories, and his experience infiltrating a right-wing rally for the Borat sequel. Video emerged in June of Baron Cohen at a rally in Washington, which showed him in disguise getting a crowd to sing along to a shocking racist song about wanting to inject Dr. Anthony Fauci and others with COVID-19.
"When organizers finally stormed the stage, I rushed to a nearby get-away vehicle," Baron Cohen wrote. "An angry crowd blocked our way and started pounding on the vehicle with their fists. Under my overalls, I was wearing a bulletproof vest, but it felt inadequate with some people outside toting semiautomatic weapons. When someone ripped open the door to drag me out, I used my entire body weight to pull the door back shut until our vehicle maneuvered free."
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Baron Cohen wrote that he has "feared for my life" while shooting a project "a few times in my career," such as when he pranked the crowd at a cage match for the end of Bruno and had to escape through a trapdoor. He shared these anecdotes as part of a broader essay about how, ahead of the 2020 presidential election, "I'm truly terrified — for the survival of democracy itself." He concludes by writing that while "I was fortunate to make it out in one piece" after his Borat prank, "the next few weeks will determine whether America will be so lucky." Read Baron Cohen's full essay at Time.
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