The guy who gave us Borat, Brüno, and Ali G is unleashing another character on the world: Nobby, a soccer hooligan. Deco’s multiple-personality correspondent Chris Van Vliet is here with his unpredictable interview.
And here’s the honest truth, until the second he got out of the car, I didn’t know if I was interviewing Sacha Baron Cohen, this character Nobby, or maybe Borat or Brüno.
Sacha Baron Cohen treated some lucky FIU students to a special screening of his new movie "The Brothers Grimsby" in Coconut Grove, and he came dressed for the occasion.
Chris Van Vliet: "Is this Miami attire that you came up with today?"
Sacha Baron Cohen: "I’m actually English. This is how we dress in London."
Sacha Baron Cohen plays Nobby, a British soccer hooligan searching for his long-lost brother for the last 28 years. When Nobby finds him, he unknowingly blows his brother’s cover as a secret agent, sending them both on the run.
Chris Van Vliet: "When you’re workshopping a character, whether it’s Nobby or Borat or Brüno, how do you know when it’s done, when it’s ready?"
Sacha Baron Cohen: "I take it out into the real world and I interview real people as Nobby. So I went through a few weeks of actually interviewing people and being this character and trying out different looks and different catchphrases."
In Baron Cohen’s trademark style, the movie is filled with jokes that push the envelope, but there’s also a lot of Jason Bourne-style action mixed in.
Sacha Baron Cohen: "We got like the main stunt guys from Marvel, they’re doing the stuff. Unfortunately, 14 of them got killed during the making of this, but I sent chocolates and a signed photo to their family. They are good."
Even though the movie doesn’t open until later this week, it’s stirring up controversy for a scene in which Donald Trump gets AIDS.
Sacha Baron Cohen: "Listen, we don’t know what Donald Trump has at the moment. I really think it’s be unfair to tarnish the reputation of AIDS by associating it with Donald Trump. People have been standing up and cheering when Donald Trump contracts HIV, which is some indication what would happen when he becomes president."
Chris Van Vliet: "If Borat saw ‘Brothers Grimsby,’ what do you think his review would be?"
Sacha Baron Cohen (in Borat voice): "Nice!"
"The Brothers Grimsby" opens in theaters March 11.