An eagle-eyed fan has spotted Sacha Baron Cohen in costume as Borat driving down the street in an old pickup, while a camera crew films him. The character of Borat was created by Cohen for his hit British comedy Da Ali G Show. The show, first broadcast in the UK, and then picked up by HBO for broadcast in the USA, featured two of Cohen’s most popular characters – Ali G and Bruno. Cohen’s conceit with each character was that he would interview unsuspecting subjects in character as each, often making inappropriate or offensive comments in an effort to lead the subject to say something offensive themselves.
Cohen made films as each character, with Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan easily the most successful of the three. Released in 2006, the character’s blend of childish humor and non-PC approach to interviewing captured the zeitgeist and produced many memorable scenes, including one in which Cohen, in character, attempts to kidnap Pamela Anderson in front of a crowd of unsuspecting fans (Anderson was in on the gag). Cohen has mostly retired the character in the years since, as he is instantly recognizable due to his large mustache and hair.
However, eagle-eyed Twitter user switzonthegreat recently spotted Cohen in character as Borat, driving down the street in a battered old pickup truck in Los Angeles. In further proof that it was actually Cohen in character, and not a fan dressed up as Borat, the car was preceded by a filming van, with a pair of cameramen filming the action. You can see the video below.
It is unclear why Cohen is filming as Borat again, as there has been no announcement of a new TV show or movie. However, Cohen was spotted disguised as a country singer, complete with straw hat and large beard, pranking an alt-right rally by singing racist songs in June. The assumption then was that he was filming new episodes of his HBO show Who Is America? but as there has been no word on a season 2 of that show, it can’t be confirmed.
The footage shared on Twitter is a conundrum, then. If Cohen is filming a new show or movie in character as Borat, how will he manage to trick interviewees, given that he is so recognizable as the character? And if he isn’t filming a new show, then just why is he in character as the fictional Kazakh reporter? One possibility is that he is filming an advert or promotion in character, something many actors have done in the past.
But that seems unlikely, as Cohen is not known for endorsing products or brands, preferring to remain fiercely independent. Thus, it seems like Cohen has unearthed the old costume for either a new venture, or to revisit the character for an old show. Either way, the world needs to get ready for some new adventures from Borat and brace themselves for the inevitable backlash against his outdated and offensive views, which are sure to raise controversy no matter how satirical they are.
