The acting profession requires actors to fully immerse themselves in whichever character they play, regardless of how challenging. While some actors go about this process on a more surface level, some throw caution to the wind and fully lose themselves in the role they play.
Known as Method acting, many famous actors use this as the main source to perform their craft including Sacha Baron Cohen, best known for his work in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Les Misérables, Borat, and the Madagascar franchise.
Sacha Baron Cohen’s Career And Dedication To His Craft
Sacha Baron Cohen started off as a sketch comedian in his home country, England, but very quickly, he rose to fame when he created the character of Ali G. Ali G was a satirical rapper who would interview many famous personalities as well as acting and working as a street performer. This eventually led to him getting his own show called Da Ali G Show. One very interesting thing about Cohen, when he is in character, is the fact that he does not break his character regardless of what the circumstances are.
This trait followed in his career-defining persona, Borat, a Kazakhstani reporter. Borat completely changed the game for Cohen who went from being part of a small-time show to being in massive, critically acclaimed movies, from working in Talladega Nights, Sweeney Todd, and Les Miserables to his most famous role in The Dictator.
Sacha Baron Cohen’s Method Acting Proved To Be Dangerous During 2012 Movie
Despite being in so many massive projects, one of Sacha Baron Cohen’s most well-known works has to be his 2012 movie, The Dictator. Cohen’s dedication to method acting in this movie while can be quite entertaining as he goes to many extremes in front of unaware audiences, this backfired in his role as Aladeen in this movie.
Aladeen was supposed to be a dictator of a powerful nation who gets the support of his subjects by catering to their wants and prejudices rather than actually running a country. His character was based on the real-life dictator of Libya, Muammar Al-Qaddafi, who was still alive during the making of this movie. Due to this, Cohen feared that the movie could result in negative and violent repercussions.
To avoid these consequences, Sacha Baron Cohen came up with an absurd plan that seemed like something out of one of his skits. When The Dictator was announced to audiences, it was claimed to be an adaptation of a book by Saddam Hussein called Zabibah and the King, a propaganda that attempts to glorify the leader, disguised as a romance book. Oddly enough, this worked and the movie’s production went on smoothly.
Also Read: Borat Star Sacha Baron Cohen Rumored to Be Cast as Mephisto in Upcoming Ironheart Series
Source: CheatSheet
