'Ali G: Who Iz I?' Will Be the Last: Sacha Baron Cohen Calls Time on His Risky Character Comedies
British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen has announced that his new film, 'Ali G: Who Iz I?', will be his last in the risky, character-driven, over-the-top comedy style that made him famous. The 55-year-old actor says making films of this kind has become too dangerous and too physically demanding for him to continue.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Cohen confirmed that the new movie will be his final outing in the character-driven comedy genre that brought him worldwide fame. 'I want to do stuff that challenges me,' he told the outlet, making clear that there will be no 'Borat 3'.
In Cohen's own words, the film he has just finished is the most challenging he has ever made. Yet he remains firm about his decision: it is the most challenging movie he has done, but he is not doing any more. His announcement has therefore been read less as promotion for a new project and more as a farewell to a defining style.
Cohen has said he was finished with this style of comedy before. Explaining why he returned this time, he said he is terrified of where society is headed, and regards his comedy as a way of commenting on that direction.
Speaking about the purpose of his films, Cohen said they allow him to show the extremism on both sides of the political spectrum and the danger of virtuous violence. At the same time, he had another aim entirely: at the end of the day, he also wanted to make the funniest film that has ever been made.
'These really are the hardest movies to make, but I suppose I made it because I'm scared of this world of conspiracies and lies that are spread by social media and now by AI,' he said. 'If we don't have these shared facts, then democracies crumble, and we can't have a tolerant society. And to make people laugh is therapy.'
Cohen's early breakthrough came in 2000 with 'Da Ali G Show', and he gained international recognition with the release of 'Borat' in 2006. He followed it with 'Bruno', 'The Dictator', 'Who is America' and 'Borat Subsequent Moviefilm', alongside dramatic roles in 'The Trial of the Chicago 7', 'Les Misérables' and 'Disclaimer'.
Throughout the interview, Cohen explained that these comedies are dangerous to make and incredibly demanding on the body, although he and his crew try to limit the risks and keep everybody safe. To illustrate the scale of the risk, he described the final scene of his latest project in detail.
In his account, the film's closing scene is an eight-hour continuous scene that takes place across 12 locations, filmed as one continual shot. 'There's gunfire in it. There's a medical procedure. There are drones, there are explosions, and it's taking place in the desert,' he said.
Cohen also recalled meeting one of the great stuntmen on his way to shoot that scene. After hearing about the plan to perform wearing a prosthetic head in a fat suit, the stuntman told him he would end up in hospital if he made the movie, warning he could be so dehydrated that he would spend two weeks there.
To manage the risk, Cohen hired an endurance specialist with Tour de France experience to stay beside him throughout filming. Despite those precautions, a number of people still went to hospital with dehydration — an outcome that underlines his description of the project as his hardest ever film.
Cohen was nevertheless emphatic that he will never perform a scene if he believes he could actually die. As an example, he cited a scene dropped from the first 'Borat' film: a police officer accompanying him explained that he might need up to three minutes to draw his weapon, and on hearing that, Cohen decided to pull the scene.
By contrast, he agreed to film a scene at a gun rights rally for the second 'Borat' film even while knowing there was a chance he could be shot, because he felt the film was important to make. That willingness to take risks has also brought recognition: he received Academy Award nominations for writing both 'Borat' films, in 2007 and 2021, and an acting nomination for 'The Trial of the Chicago 7'.
Taken together, Cohen's message is clear: with 'Ali G: Who Iz I?' he is drawing the curtain on his best-known style, on his own terms. What remains for audiences is to see, once the film is released, how far it lives up to his ambition of making the funniest film ever made.
