During an interview on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Sacha Baron Cohen revealed that the climactic moment of Borat 2 was almost ruined by his phone running out of battery.
In the much-talked-about scene, Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani appears to be in a compromising position in a hotel room with Maria Bakalova, who plays Borat’s 15-year-old daughter Tutar. While Guiliani thought he was alone with Bakalova, Baron Cohen was hiding in a wardrobe – his only way of knowing what was going on was through text messages from the director. However, once he switched on the phone he realised the battery was at three per cent.
"Hold on, we've got Rudy Giuliani. We've got the president's lawyer. We've got this scene – this is the climax of the movie – and no one thought it might be worth charging the phone," Baron Cohen recalled thinking at the time.
Guiliani has hit back at Baron Cohen about the scene. "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," the former New York City mayor tweeted.
Baron Cohen responded on Colbert's show: “Well, he said that he did nothing inappropriate and, you know, my feeling is, if he sees that as appropriate, then heaven knows what he’s intended to do with other women in hotel rooms with a glass of whiskey in his hand. I mean, I don’t want to ruin the movie for anyone, so I would just say, see it and make your own mind up.”
According to Deadline, Amazon paid $80 million for the comedy sequel after Universal backed out of a theatrical release. Baron Cohen specifically wanted a streaming release for Borat 2 (as opposed to PVOD with an additional cost) to allow the widest possible audience to see the movie.
If you've made your way through Borat 2, then be sure to check out the other best movies on Amazon Prime.
