"Sacha Baron Cohen"

Summary

SmartLess Episode Summary: "Sacha Baron Cohen"

Release Date: October 14, 2024
Hosts: Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett
Guest: Sacha Baron Cohen

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Introduction to Sacha Baron Cohen

The "SmartLess" hosts—Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett—welcome Sacha Baron Cohen to the podcast in a lively and humorous manner. Will Arnett sets the stage by lauding Cohen's unique blend of social commentary and comedy, highlighting his multifaceted talents as an actor, writer, and activist.

Notable Quote:
Will Arnett [07:09]: "For me, his ability to deliver social, political and religious commentary wrapped up in side-splitting comedy is completely unmatched."

Early Career and Character Development

Cohen delves into his beginnings in comedy, recounting the inception of iconic characters like Ali G. He explains how his initial forays involved interacting with real people while inhabiting fictional personas, a technique that later defined his unique comedic style.

Notable Quote:
Sacha Baron Cohen [16:45]: "The first time that it was a comic character with real people."

Challenges of Improvised Comedy

The conversation shifts to the inherent risks and spontaneity involved in Cohen's performances. He shares experiences from diving with sharks and performing undercover stunts that often blur the lines between reality and his characters.

Notable Quote:
Sacha Baron Cohen [11:19]: "I was in a shark attack, though, once."

Navigating Social and Political Landscapes

Cohen discusses the impact of his work in exposing societal hypocrisies and the challenges posed by misinformation in the digital age. He emphasizes the role of legislation in regulating social media to curb the spread of harmful misinformation.

Notable Quote:
Sacha Baron Cohen [33:05]: "Until... you actually get laws that, you know, you're being fed so much stuff that polarizes you."

The Thin Line Between Free Speech and Regulation

The hosts engage with Cohen on the delicate balance between upholding free speech and enforcing regulations to prevent the spread of dangerous misinformation. Cohen critiques the current state of social media companies, highlighting their superficial commitment to free speech driven by business models rather than genuine advocacy.

Notable Quote:
Sacha Baron Cohen [35:02]: "Section 230 isn't really about free speech... they can have every single person in the world, can be on meta, can be on Instagram, can be on X."

Behind the Scenes of "Borat" and "Bruno"

Cohen provides an insider's look into the making of his famous films, sharing anecdotes about his interactions with celebrities and political figures. He recounts a particularly intense experience while filming a scene involving Rudy Giuliani, which almost led to legal repercussions and a hasty escape from New York.

Notable Quote:
Sacha Baron Cohen [45:31]: "I was terrified about what's his name."

Ethical Considerations and Personal Reflections

The discussion turns introspective as Cohen reflects on the ethical implications of his work. He acknowledges moments where he saw the humanity in individuals he initially portrayed as misinformed or extremist, emphasizing that underlying goodness can exist despite misguided beliefs.

Notable Quote:
Sacha Baron Cohen [30:46]: "They were nice people. They were good people. They were just misinformed."

Future Projects and Artistic Aspirations

Cohen hints at upcoming projects and the continuous evolution of his characters. He expresses a desire to explore new avenues in acting and comedy, balancing artistic integrity with the thrill of improvisational performances.

Notable Quote:
Cohen [54:56]: "The last one became so extreme... there needs to be a behind the scenes movie."

Impact of Social Media and Polarization

Cohen articulates his concerns about the accelerating polarization fueled by social media platforms. He advocates for stricter regulations to mitigate the spread of divisive and harmful content, underscoring the urgency of addressing these issues to preserve democratic values.

Notable Quote:
Cohen [33:21]: "Everything has been accelerating since... social media came along."

Closing Remarks and Host Interactions

As the episode winds down, the hosts express their admiration and affection for Cohen, highlighting his intelligence, humor, and the profound impact of his work. The episode concludes with light-hearted banter and heartfelt goodbyes, reinforcing the genuine connections fostered through thoughtful dialogue.

Notable Quotes:
Will Arnett [61:35]: "We need you. We still need you."
Sean Hayes [62:27]: "You're funny. He is."

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Key Takeaways

• Innovative Comedy: Sacha Baron Cohen uniquely blends humor with sharp social and political commentary, using fictional characters to reveal underlying societal truths.
• Ethical Performances: Cohen's work underscores the ethical complexities of interacting with real individuals while portraying exaggerated personas.
• Impact of Misinformation: The episode highlights the detrimental effects of misinformation propagated through social media and the need for regulatory measures.
• Personal Reflections: Cohen reflects on the humanity of individuals he interacts with, recognizing that good can exist amidst misguided beliefs.
• Future Endeavors: The conversation hints at Cohen's continued exploration of character-driven, socially relevant comedy, balancing artistic pursuits with the inherent risks of his improvisational style.

Notable Moments

• Shark Diving Incident [11:19]: Cohen recounts a harrowing experience while scuba diving that underscored the unpredictability and danger inherent in his performances.
• Rudy Giuliani Stunt [45:31]: An intense and near-legal escapade involving impersonating Borat at a Giuliani event, showcasing the real-world risks of Cohen's method.
• Behind the Scenes of "Borat" [42:04]: Insights into the filming challenges and the blurred lines between fiction and reality in Cohen's work.

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Episode Conclusion:
The "SmartLess" episode featuring Sacha Baron Cohen offers an engaging exploration of his innovative approach to comedy and activism. Through candid discussions and entertaining anecdotes, the hosts and guest illuminate the artistry and ethical considerations that define Cohen's impactful career.

Transcript

[Jason Bateman]

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[Will Arnett]

Guys, when's the last quickie you had, Sean?

[Jason Bateman]

Well, probably yesterday. What do you mean by quickie?

[Will Arnett]

Well, that's.

[Sean Hayes]

What do you mean by probably yesterday?

[Will Arnett]

Welcome to smart lesson.

[Sean Hayes]

Smart. Less.

[Will Arnett]

Smart. Smart. Less.

[Sean Hayes]

Smart.

[Will Arnett]

Less.

[Sean Hayes]

Jb. Jb. Let's just get into your hairs. Midway short.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, yeah, I know.

[Jason Bateman]

Look at that.

[Will Arnett]

And tomorrow morning the rest of this garbage comes off and I'll just be into stubble and then I'll be into a mullet.

[Jason Bateman]

And you already cut a little bit of your hair. A little bit.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah. So I'm going to keep the party in the back and pull in some business on the sides and the top and that'll work for two days and then we go backwards 20 years. So I'll go back into like a, like your level, your, your short hair, Sean. Yeah, and clean shaven.

[Sean Hayes]

Like a Michael Bluth. You're going to go back to a Michael.

[Will Arnett]

Go back to a Michael Bluth or a Marty Bird or really every other part I've ever played in my life.

[Sean Hayes]

How dare you? How dare you.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, the acting stretches have not been significant in my career.

[Jason Bateman]

Will you be sad to the change go?

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, a little bit. But I gotta tell you, I don't know how women do it with the long hair and the showering, you know, like it's always hanging face and it takes you 20 minutes to wash your hair. It's just a nightmare.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, it's been coming up on a year since You've been growing that hair out and stuff.

[Jason Bateman]

I mean, this is longer than a year.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. So this is gonna be a big departure.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, I can't wait. My daughters are excited to be done with my nonsense. My wife is not happy about it.

[Sean Hayes]

So I saw your wife last night.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, that's what I heard.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. And she said to me. She's like, I like. Because my hair's getting a little bit longer than I usually.

[Jason Bateman]

Very long now.

[Sean Hayes]

And she goes, I like it that way. And then our friend goes, no, it's too long. Yeah, I don't like it like that. And then also proceeded to tell me that I was a little overweight.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, this is. This is another guest at the party.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

So this is the host. And I'm like, okay, well, that feels great.

[Will Arnett]

I think you look beautiful.

[Sean Hayes]

Thank you.

[Will Arnett]

You actually look a little thin to me.

[Jason Bateman]

That's what I said.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

I'd like to fatten him up a little bit.

[Jason Bateman]

You look thinner.

[Will Arnett]

Sorry, I don't mean to talk to you about some sort of, like, concubine that's just coming. Can you hold, please? I'd like to plump you up a little bit before our session. I love Sean. How are you feeling? You're still in New York. We still haven't seen each other. I know it's as if we don't.

[Jason Bateman]

Like each other, but when you're done.

[Sean Hayes]

With your show, this is my plan. I was going to say this, but.

[Jason Bateman]

I was going to say, please come.

[Sean Hayes]

Come over Thursday night. Let's do it. Because I'm getting in Wednesday. Let's do a Thursday night dinner, either Shawnee at your apartment or somewhere. Let's do it.

[Will Arnett]

Great. Yeah. Because I'm furious that I have now I'm finishing on Wednesday after seven or eight months on this thing.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Well.

[Jason Bateman]

And not including the prep. A month of prep?

[Will Arnett]

Well, no, that includes it. And my wife, because she's smarter and kinder about our friends than I am, has forced me to not come home after eight months of being away and stay an extra five days to go see our friend who's opening in a new play. And so I have to sit here and just kill five days of my life waiting for this.

[Jason Bateman]

But that's when you come over and we'll take care of you.

[Will Arnett]

But, I mean, I don't think our friend would care if I come see it, like, in a month or in two months. Right. Is opening night that big of a deal?

[Sean Hayes]

No. But, yeah, it's nice. We're all going to go it's going to be nice. You're doing it for somebody else.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Why didn't you all do it later?

[Sean Hayes]

What do you think your face is doing right now?

[Will Arnett]

It probably looks pretty pissed off.

[Sean Hayes]

It does.

[Will Arnett]

Look, that's just gravity.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, but it's the good, nice thing.

[Sean Hayes]

We'Re going to do. We're going to go for. We're going to have dinner, the three of us, then we're going to do jackets. Jb, we already talked about it this.

[Will Arnett]

Weekend, so you're going to kill some time for me. You're not going to be stuck out on Long Island. You're going to stay here in the city.

[Sean Hayes]

No, I'm not coming. I'm not come. I'm not going to go to Long Island. I'm just going to be in the city the whole time.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, great.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

All right, so then I've got you until the kids and the wife get here on Friday.

[Sean Hayes]

Friday, exactly Right.

[Will Arnett]

And Sean is still in town. Yeah. And I'm still not seeing him.

[Sean Hayes]

We worked it out. We worked this out.

[Jason Bateman]

We. We have it all laid out for you. If you come. When you come over, if you're listening.

[Sean Hayes]

Out there and you want to grab a lunch or something, just let us know.

[Jason Bateman]

I was walking down the street the other day and this. A girl had her earbuds in and she goes, oh, my God, Sean Hayes. I go, yeah. She goes, you're really in New York? Just like you said you were on the podcast.

[Will Arnett]

I mean, I don't make it up now. All right, here comes a guest. It's been 50, no, 24 minutes. This guest has been waiting with my bad technological problems. All right, today, for your listening pleasure.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

I brought to you an actor, a writer, a producer, an academic, an activist, and a cellist all in one.

[Jason Bateman]

A cellist?

[Will Arnett]

A cellist, yeah. For me, his ability to deliver social, political and religious commentary wrapped up in side splitting comedy is completely unmatched, making him one of the most effective and valuable satirists we have in this world. He starred in multiple movies, both comedic and dramatic, worked with some of our fanciest directors, been nominated, won multiple awards, and he is my absolute favor to see at a party, guys, the sneaky, handsome, devastatingly funny Cambridge. Smart, yet always cheeky, Sasha Baron Cohen.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Oh, for God's sake, Sasha.

[Will Arnett]

I'm so sorry for the delay.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

No, don't worry.

[Will Arnett]

I mean, a man of your.

[Sean Hayes]

Now, I don't feel so bad knowing it's Sasha now that it's Sasha. It's okay, Will.

[Will Arnett]

Let Me butter him up and then you take him down. It's ridiculous that I've left somebody of your stature waiting this long. I apolog.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Come, come, please. It's an honor to be. 114. Yeah, you're deep.

[Will Arnett]

You're deep. You should have been on earlier.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, yeah, you. Barry, when you do. When you do, like, when you have, like a big act, right, you don't. You don't have the marquee act first. You have the opening.

[Will Arnett]

You make people wait.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

You have them 100.

[Jason Bateman]

You have 230 opening.

[Will Arnett]

It's deeper than that.

[Sean Hayes]

Hey, Sasha.

[Will Arnett]

Sasha.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Hey, how are you? Nice to see you.

[Jason Bateman]

Nice to meet you, Sasha. I don't think I've ever met you.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Have we never met. That seems bizarre. I'm sorry. Love it.

[Jason Bateman]

Lovely to meet you, too.

[Sean Hayes]

Lovely to meet you.

[Will Arnett]

We'll keep your knees bent on that one. Sasha. You're in Los Angeles or New York?

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

I'm in Moorea, in French Polynesia, where I live now.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, wow.

[Will Arnett]

This isn't a bit.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Yeah, no, it's a bit.

[Will Arnett]

Would you ever live in French Polynesia? Cause that sounded great.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

You know what? I actually considered. I looked into it very thoroughly, jokes.

[Will Arnett]

Aside, truly, really, that particular show.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

During the pandemic. Yeah, during the pandemic. We knew we were going to move, but we were looking somewhere in the southern hemisphere because we knew that the flu.

[Will Arnett]

The virus. The virus doesn't last as long in the southern hemis, the northern hemisphere. The virus was crazy at that point.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

It was summer in the southern hemisphere, and so we had missed the virus. We were advised by some. Someone at Johns Hopkins who I happened to be happening to know. And so we looked into French Polynesia. I looked carefully into Tahiti. It was interesting. Yeah, there's a. There's a bilingual school. Yeah. You know, there's beaches.

[Will Arnett]

Have you been to Bora Bora? Have you been to the Brando? Have you been to Morea?

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

I have been to Morea and I've been to. I've not been to the Brando.

[Sean Hayes]

It's pretty good.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

And I have been to Bora Bora.

[Jason Bateman]

Where's the brand?

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

And I can tell you everywhere else that I've visited as well.

[Will Arnett]

This sounds like real elite fuck off conversation. But no, no, no.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Discuss the best hotel.

[Will Arnett]

No, but listeners. I always thought Tahiti was like, you know, on the edge of the earth. It's only three hours past Hawaii for anybody on the west coast, you know, so people on the west coast, they go to Hawaii all the time. It's like Florida for the people in New York. Eight hours, but it's just three hours past that.

[Sean Hayes]

And you're very familiar with it, Jay, because you actually worked there. So you were the first time you went down there.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah. Did.

[Sean Hayes]

To fulfill an obligation.

[Will Arnett]

Couples retreat.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Yes. Yeah.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Oh, yes.

[Will Arnett]

And then, by the way, I am.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Happy to discuss French Polynesia at length till the end. Yes. Actually, I was in a shark attack, though, once.

[Will Arnett]

You were in a shark?

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

No, I've kind of a feeding frenzy.

[Will Arnett]

You were in one in Moorea. I went shark diving in Bora Bora.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Did you. So is that where it came from? Did you go down to dive with sharks and things got a little hot in those days.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

I think it's illegal now. They used to do something called shark feeding where I was doing my padi license. And then that's.

[Will Arnett]

That's how you get certified as a scuba diver. Listener, Tracy.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Exactly.

[Jason Bateman]

And Sean.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

And what happened?

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

And then. Yeah, they. The guy I was with, some French instructor had basically said, we're going to feed some sharks. And then he puts on a kind of chain mail hand thing. Obviously we're underwater. And he just said, be near me. And it was just me and him. And he basically breaks open a sardine. I remember it. And then I remember seeing the droplets of blood. And then within literally two minutes, there were 12 sharks around.

[Sean Hayes]

No way.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

And then he pulls out this bag, this tuna head. And he's got, you know, a chainmail hand on, chainmail kind of glove on. And they start, you know, eating the thing. And it's really interesting. And I'm there opposite. Then they get carried away.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

And there's a feeding frenzy and you can't see anything.

[Will Arnett]

And he's looking at you with eyebrows high, like, isn't this fun?

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

He's not looking at me. His glove gets knocked off and his regulator.

[Sean Hayes]

No.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Gets knocked out of his mouth. And then he leaves.

[Will Arnett]

He needs some air.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

He goes up and leaves me alone with the 12 shocks that are. And I can't see a thing.

[Will Arnett]

Does he put up one finger like, I'll be right back.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

No, nothing. It was literally nothing.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, I went down there with a guy, he put a tuna head in his wetsuit, right in the front of his wetsuit in order to have all the sharks. It was a big group of us, and I mean, this was planned. And he said not to worry about it. And we did a little bit and then it was okay. And you can see in their eyes that they're not interested in you. You know, sharks are always scary when your head's kind of just above the water. You don't know what's going on below. But once you get under and you can look at a shark, look at you, and then kind of swim away, your fear of sharks goes away instantly.

[Jason Bateman]

Wow.

[Will Arnett]

I highly recommend it.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

That did not happen when the sharks knocked the regulator out of his mouth and knocked the gloves off and he swam away.

[Sean Hayes]

Sean, you told me once you walked out of a Ralph's with like, 12 cans of tuna in your pants. Right. Is that a true story? Did that happen?

[Jason Bateman]

That was like a dream come true. Yeah. But, Sasha, you sound like that was a surprise that it went awry.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

I was. And I basically started hyperventilating. I mean, this was my second time diving in my life.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, but I mean, like.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

And then actually the guy put. He put his regulator back on.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Put the glove back because he'd left me alone. Yeah. Went back down. And then the first shark went to attack him and he punched it in the nose. I mean, this is not good for animal rights lovers out there.

[Will Arnett]

No, but that's what you're supposed to do.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Not enjoy.

[Sean Hayes]

He's defending himself. That's okay.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

I mean, if the shark is eating you and you're just going, no, I didn't. I didn't want to punch it. And then you can hurt me.

[Will Arnett]

I don't want to hurt you.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. Give me a break.

[Will Arnett]

No, you're allowed. Are you sure that the shark wasn't just coming to him for more sort of, that blood? He wasn't. He wasn't going to try to bite the guy, was he?

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

I don't think so. I think they were just in a front. He headbutted.

[Sean Hayes]

Did they interview the shark after he headbutted him?

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

He headbutted one of the sharks, the lemon shark, which I think was kind of bad.

[Will Arnett]

Those are big.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

12Ft long. He headbutted that shark.

[Sean Hayes]

No, of course you have to. In France, we headbutt Jacques afterwards, I.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Did go up to him and I said, has anyone. In the end, I basically came over to me, checked my oxygen, and I completely run out of oxygen. And then we did some emergency procedure where, you know, you take his regulator.

[Will Arnett]

He puts it in your mouth, and you put yours.

[Sean Hayes]

He's like, we both have to get in the same wetsuit. Don't worry, it's fine. This is how we regulate.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Very long ruse.

[Sean Hayes]

We're both in this. We go down below.

[Will Arnett]

This hasn't wrecked your love of scuba diving. Though, has it?

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

No, no, no. I went back the next day. I did say to him, I said, has anyone ever got hurt on any of your dives? And he said, two people have died.

[Jason Bateman]

No way. For real?

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Seriously?

[Will Arnett]

But it was painless.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Yeah. He was a cave diver. Those guys are completely crazy. And, you know, he basically missed the fun of and the thrill of cave diving.

[Will Arnett]

I think scuba diving is like. Scuba diving is the most magical thing I've ever done. I would love to do it more.

[Sean Hayes]

But what if he said. What if you said, have anybody ever done. And he goes, yes, two people. And you said they, like in a cave, where he goes, no, I'm murdered them.

[Will Arnett]

This was above in the water?

[Sean Hayes]

No, the night before, I murdered them in the room. I strangled them.

[Jason Bateman]

You do a lot of that stuff, Sasha? Like, do you thrill seek? Are you a thrill seeker?

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Really? No, no, no, no.

[Will Arnett]

If you ever skydived, would you?

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

I have not. I would not have you. Have you?

[Will Arnett]

I was a week away from it, and then I canceled it because I said to myself, okay, what do you think you'd feel at the end? And then I realized all I would feel is relief. And then I thought, well, I've just had my first kid and I shouldn't be doing things that I'm excited about having gotten away with it, you know, like, no longer should I be doing things I get away with.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

And so I stopped. I said, you know what? I don't want to do it. None of you guys have done it. Would. All three of you.

[Jason Bateman]

I did this simulation thing, but not.

[Will Arnett]

That doesn't. What do you mean? The fucking. The little fly suit at Universal Studios. You get in the tube with the air. No, that doesn't count.

[Jason Bateman]

No, it doesn't count.

[Sean Hayes]

So, Sasha Baron Cohen, let's drop the Baron, huh?

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

What's always just to make me even more Jewish.

[Sean Hayes]

Okay, well, let's, let's.

[Will Arnett]

But wait, is it. Barron is not a part of the last name, is it, Is it just your. Is that your middle name?

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

It's part of the last name, yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, it's part of the. Oh, got it.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

So, Sasha, your, your, your, your. Your blend of comedy and for lack of a better term, education is I, I, as I said in the intro, I find personally so admirable and like you make the medicine go down super easy for ding dongs like me. And the, the stuff you shine a light on, not only just on issues, but also sort of ethics and bigotry and et cetera, et cetera. Where does that Come. Well, I kind of know where it comes from, but tell the audience, like, when did that. When did you figure out you could blend your social awareness with your comedic talents?

[Jason Bateman]

Mm.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Firstly, thank you very much for that.

[Sean Hayes]

Let's take it down.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

It's lovely. I could spend all day hearing that, but please don't. I think it's the first time, actually, the second time I did Borat. So basically, Borat was created. I was doing, like, a satellite TV show called F2F, where I was the host of it. It was a discussion show for teenage kids. We talk about everything and you talk about teen topics. And, you know, I wanted to be a comedian, and so I would go and pre record characters that I could throw to, right? And basically I went out once and I had a kind of skateboarding character that was a early form of Alley G. And then I basically saw some real skateboarders. And the guy I was with, this sort of old director from Ealing Studios who had lost all his money and was working on this really shitty satellite TV show. I said, look, those guys look like me. I go, do you think I should talk to them? And he said, 100%. So I go over to these guys, and I'm basically on my skateboard and I'm playing this early Ali G character. And they thought I was real, right? And after about three minutes, I said, guys, you know, I'm not. You know, I'm not real. This is just, you know, I'm playing along. They were completely freaked out, right? And then I. A tourist bus came. I jumped on the tourist bus. I commandeered it. I started rapping, got off the bus, went into a year was this.

[Sean Hayes]

Sasha, what year was this?

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Maybe this was, I think, 1995 or 4.

[Sean Hayes]

Okay.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Anyway, I basically go into a pub. I start breaking down something. They call the police. I go into some big business. I claim that my dad's upstairs and he's the CEO. They call security. We run back to this live TV show. I run. They put on my normal clothes, and this guy, this legendary guy who's an editor at Ealing Studios, is editing while I'm on air. This is. This is the days of pneumatics. This is right? He's, like, cutting. You know, everything's losing four frames, and he's adding music. And this guy was a kind of legendary guy.

[Sean Hayes]

Wow.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

And I'm cutting to this stuff, and it's, you know, me with real people. So it was the first time that it was a comic character with real people.

[Will Arnett]

And you realize that you could Trojan horse some of the social commentary inside a comedy.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Yeah, you're right. I'm not really answering your question at all. This was like the first time I ever did, you know characters in the real world at the end.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, you weren't doing that shit yet. Like, even Ali G. You weren't really. Early on, Ali G. You weren't really making commentary. You were just fucking with people.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Yeah, early on. Well.

[Will Arnett]

But you were exposing sort of the lowbrow perspective on certain things that deserve a high brow analysis.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Yeah, well, I think in a way, Ali G was kind of a undermining of the establishment. It was essentially saying, okay, these people that run society, they are completely out of touch with society so much that they will believe that this guy is real, despite him asking the most absurd questions ever.

[Sean Hayes]

Can I tell you, Sasha, I think I've told you this, and jb, you might know this, but. And I don't mean to speak ill of the dead, please do.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Here we go.

[Sean Hayes]

But here we go. They don't give a shit.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

You're not gonna criticize Hitler again, are you?

[Sean Hayes]

No, I told you I wouldn't ever remember. You made me. I made a promise.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Yeah. Stop it. I was in tears.

[Sean Hayes]

You were in absolute. You were a wreck.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

I was serious.

[Sean Hayes]

I was weeping. It's one of the weirdest positions, weeping.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

At the Vanity Fair party when you were.

[Sean Hayes]

It's not a position you think Sasha would have, but boy, no. Was years ago, right after it aired. And I want to say about 2003, four, something like that. You were still doing Ali G at the time. It was before Borat. And you. I was at a party with. Because he was un. Arrested Development with James Lipton. Jason, you were there too, and I just seen it. And I said to James Lipton, I go, oh, I saw you on lag. And I said, God, that was terrible.

[Jason Bateman]

The Actor Studio guy.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, the Actor Studio guy. Yeah. And he was on Arrested Development. He played the warden of the prison.

[Will Arnett]

Warden Gentles, genteel.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, that's right. I think that's right. And it's a really funny bit to have him as the warden. Right. And the whole time he's really just trying to get them all to mount a play, like a musical. But he says, I said, yeah, I saw you in lg. God, that was so funny. And he goes, I knew when he came in, I knew that it was a bit. And Bowie went on this whole thing, and I just watch it and I'm thinking like, no, you didn't.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

No, he had absolutely no idea because he took me off camera after we'd finished the interview, back to the other room. And so, you know, I was still in character. He completely believed who I was.

[Jason Bateman]

It's amazing.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

And that thing showed me like a painting of a naked.

[Sean Hayes]

Of his wife.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Woman. Yes. Is that it's her first wife?

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, it is. Yeah, yeah.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

He goes, that is my wife.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Which you wouldn't do if you thought. And I was like, yo, man. Yo, she is, man.

[Sean Hayes]

I was boned at yo, somebody else. Wait, you know how I know that somebody else? Sasha has told me that very same thing that he took back and said, this is a naked picture painting of my wife.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

There we go. You verified the story. That is fact checking. We have just fact checked. There you go. We've established me as a reliable witness.

[Will Arnett]

And that started the classic line from Borat of it's my wife, right?

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Yeah. It's my naked wife.

[Sean Hayes]

Right.

[Will Arnett]

James Lipton.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

We acknowledged she was beautiful, by the way. She was beautiful.

[Will Arnett]

I'll bet.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

And classically, if we use those kind of ways to categorize women.

[Will Arnett]

Sure.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

What does it even mean?

[Jason Bateman]

Of course.

[Will Arnett]

We'll be right back. Let me ask you a question. Are you prepared for this cold and flu season? I mean, truly, right now is the best time to get a flu vaccine, and GoodRx is here to help find discounts on the vaccine. And if you do get sick, save on cold and flu medications at a pharmacy near you. GoodRx is completely free and easy to use. With Goodrx, you can instantly find discounts, compare prices, and save up to 80% on prescriptions. GoodRx is accepted at all the major pharmacies in your neighborhood, including Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, Publix, Albertsons, Kroger, and many more. And remember, GoodRx works whether you have insurance or not. Even if you have insurance, GoodRx may beat your co pay price this flu season. Stay prepared with GoodRx. Go to goodrx.com smartless that's goodrx.com smartless.

[Jason Bateman]

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[Will Arnett]

And now back to the show.

[Jason Bateman]

At the beginning, when I asked you like about the risk taking, like I was like, would you do anything else other than, you know, swim with the sharks or whatever? And you said no, absolutely not. We talked about Skydiving And I just realizing like this, what you do is so high risk.

[Sean Hayes]

It's so risky. Oh, my God.

[Jason Bateman]

So it's like that must fulfill some kind of like, rush.

[Sean Hayes]

You love that kind of. That kind of rush of like you're about to get caught.

[Will Arnett]

Right. You're not doing that as much anymore. Correct. Is that because you're just sort of like older and wiser and you don't want to get hit or run anymore?

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

The last. Sorry, sorry.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah. No. End of question.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Interrupted. Slight. I thought I was waiting for that slip.

[Will Arnett]

You threw me a line a little early. No, I can go.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

And then there was an awe. Then there was an or with the last Borat movie. There was quite a lot of that stuff. And actually, I mean, we did. There was a scene at a gun rally which was.

[Jason Bateman]

Yes.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Got quite hairy.

[Jason Bateman]

I remember reading about that. Yeah.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Yes. It was, you know, I mean, the people with semi automatics and automatics in the audience. And it was a militia, unfortunately, that had organized it that then didn't take it very well. And I was singing a song called the Wuhan Flute. That's right, everybody, what gotta do. I don't even remember it. Pop.

[Jason Bateman]

I mean, where does the fearlessness come from, though? I mean.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Well, I'll tell you the truth with that scene, because we knew that there were going to be, you know, basically it was a gun rally and everyone was telling me something. It was in the middle of COVID We were the only movie shooting. And so, you know, my security said, listen, you need to have a bulletproof vest on. And so I put on the bulletproof vest and I said, they go, that's fine for pistols. And they said, I go once if somebody shoots the, you know, semi automatic. And you know, it's not just one person. So they built. So I was singing on stage. So they built an amplifier that was pretty much bomb proof. So they basically said, you know, if people stop really shooting with the semi automatics, go behind the amplifier and you'll be safe.

[Jason Bateman]

Jesus.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

It's unbelievable. And so the thing is, you know, you're in the scene, I'm on stage, and, you know, you have this kind of conflict between, you know, I'm terrified, and then you always have, I need to get the scene. So you want to. So I was doing, you know, the same averse again because I felt I hadn't got a good take affair. People were getting more and more, you know, they realized at some point it was me on stage. There was somebody actually undercover from Black Lives Matter had infiltrated this gun rally, and basically they recognized me and word spread that it was me. And then people started trying to storm the stage.

[Will Arnett]

Right. Because they realized they were getting clowned.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Yeah, yeah. And obviously they all had guns. And then. But I'm trying to get the scene and obviously to do as many different takes and. And eventually they did storm the stage and actually somebody pulled a gun. And luckily I had a very good bodyguard at the time who managed to take a bullet. Yeah, he's dead. But he gave him such a beautiful funeral.

[Sean Hayes]

That's why you said at the time. Yeah, yeah.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

He was such. He went away so. Well, he had such a beautiful and reasonable funeral.

[Sean Hayes]

No, when you're. It's funny you mentioned reasonable, because I was going to say, as part of this. And you've kind of the situation you describe, you have to deal with a lot of people who some might consider to be kind of unreasonable, to be extremist, you know, in certain ways. And my question is, when you deal with all these people and you're revealing all this or pulling back the sort of the covers on all this kind of shit, do you. Do you ever have a moment where you go, you know what? This person is kind of a good person. They're just really. They've just gotten off on the wrong path or misinformed. I'm sure some of them are despicable. Yeah. But just. Some are misinformed. But actually, at their heart, they're kind of good people.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Yes. I mean, on the last movie as well, there were these two guys I spent three days in a house with called Jim and Jerry, and they were.

[Jason Bateman]

Wait, this is Bruno, right?

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

No, this was Bull Rat 2. And, you know, they believe that Hillary Clinton drank the blood of children and covered as a conspiracy and that Hillary killed kids. But they were actually. They were nice people. They were good people. They were just misinformed. And so you suddenly realized they're. And they were actually feminists because. Well, when I was, you know, when I was being. When Bora was being a misogynist about his daughter, they were like. They took it upon themselves to teach me that it was important to be respectful to your daughter, and if she wanted to do her own thing, she should do so. They. They were actually good guys. And you suddenly realized. And it was a surprise, right, because they had those views and you want to dismiss these people as being horrific. And then you suddenly realize that actually any good person, if they're fed a set of ideas and set of information that's wrong, can believe conspiracy theories. That ultimately lead to horrific stuff. Right, right.

[Will Arnett]

Well, I mean, you know, we. At the risk of stepping towards political. Which we try not to do on this because God knows people get enough of that shit away from here.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Tell me about that.

[Will Arnett]

But just on this subject, do you feel hopeful at all that there's a scenario of possibility where those who feel so disenfranchised and aggrieved can be brought into a sense of, well, actually, I guess we aren't. We needn't be tribalized. We can all kind of get along and, and work as one. Like, do you see that as a possibility.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Soon? I don't. Given the state of the current, you know, Internet and information laws, basically.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah. That possibly you can penetrate this misinformation and make it healthy.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Well, you know, you're being fed so much stuff that polarizes you.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

You know, if you look at the craziness that is going on in the world, it's. Everything has been accelerating since, you know, social media came along.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

So until, really, in my opinion, until you actually get laws that, you know, get legislation that curbs the power of those social media companies and says, all right, actually, you can't spread lies like this that kill people or that completely undermine democracy.

[Will Arnett]

And you are legitimately educated on this issue of free speech versus trying to keep the social media sites from being regulated. So my question to you is, what is that difference between. Well, free speech should be given to everybody, but you can't yell fire in a crowded theater. So what is that line? And who is the one that can say, oh, yeah, this qualifies as you can't yell fire in a crowded theater. So therefore you can't say that. Like, who decides what statements get put in that category?

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

I mean, these are very big questions. Huge. And they kind of vary from country to country. So in England, Australia and Germany, you have laws about hate speech and about certain types of misinformation. In America, obviously you have complete free speech, but it's. It's not up to those.

[Will Arnett]

Except for yelling fire.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Yes. Well, actually, you. You kind of can at the moment. I mean, you know, the Internet companies, because they're not regulated because of this thing called section 230, they can put.

[Will Arnett]

Out, which is a free speech thing. Right.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Section 230 isn't really about free speech. It basically says you can't sue them. So once you can't sue a company, you know, they have no obligation to, you know, maintain the free speech of the United States in the same way that a restaurant can say, you know what, I'm going to throw you out of the restaurant for saying this or that or, you know, having that KKK hood here. So I think the fact they're saying that they care about free speech, basically because it's fantastic for their business model, it means that they can have every single person in the world, can be on meta, can be on Instagram, can be on X. Right. They're not actual. They don't care really about free speech.

[Sean Hayes]

No. Look at Elon Musk, who consistently talks about free speech. And he'll do that. And then out of the other side of his mouth, he's, you know, sort of decrying the government for doing X, Y and Z, or he's kicking people off or he's muting them on Twitter. I actually don't want to talk about it. I don't want to give him any more airtime. That guy's such a, in my opinion, so fucking unfunny. It's crazy. Which is, I think, the most damning thing about one of. No, a lot of damning things. But the fact is how profoundly unfucking funny he is is so astonishing.

[Will Arnett]

And that's why your work and, you know, your courage, quite frankly, in my opinion, is so valuable. And, you know, I'd take it. I wish you were back on a weekly show. I'd take it once a week. So thank you for all.

[Sean Hayes]

I think you're right. Yeah, jb, we need to have that sort of. You need to be in there lampooning and really showing. Shedding light on the hypocrisy alone is so fucking jarring.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Right?

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, it's refreshing.

[Sean Hayes]

I mean, it must be fun for you when you have those people say, when you put them in that position and then they say the thing that you're like, fucking hell, this is unreal.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, obviously it's horrific. But you go, oh, you know, while I'm actually in the room, I'm editing the scene as well. Right. So in my head I'm going, you know, and once they've got the thing, I go, oh, that's great. And now one follow up question. Bang. Okay, now I'm gonna move on to the next bit, you know, because there's obviously no director there.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Where did you. Where did. You know? I've always been taken by your.

[Sean Hayes]

Figure.

[Will Arnett]

Thank you. Your silhouette.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

It is surprisingly. Think more about that.

[Will Arnett]

I mean, the show.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

What do you mean? What do you mean my figure? Shay, on that topic, what do you mean? It's surprisingly, it's surprisingly.

[Will Arnett]

But you're. I did say sneaky handsome in the intro, I believe.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Thank you. Thank you.

[Will Arnett]

But the. And you did start as a model, but we won't need to talk about that. More Wikipedia accuracy. But your ability as an actor is like, you know, breathtaking. Might be overstating it, but I don't have a better word.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

I don't know. I don't know.

[Will Arnett]

But it's like your comedy is never. Your comedy never comes from jokes, and you're never making, you know, rarely as a pratfall or making faces. It's about your ability to be so convincing with an extremely eccentric character, and yet you can be literally sitting in front of somebody who is super smart and maybe even primed to sort of sniff out some gotcha moments, and they still can't tell that it's you. But not even when you're doing, you know, those characters. Even when you're just in films and dramas and stuff. Like, where.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

You didn't.

[Will Arnett]

You didn't take formal training as an actor, did you?

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

I only did one course. I did. I studied with Philippe Golier, the legendary clown.

[Will Arnett]

Clown.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Clown school at Le Colippe. Golier at a clown school? Yeah, that was it. I did it. But, no, I didn't really train in acting.

[Will Arnett]

No, it's just something that. Tell us, does it just come natural to you? How do you. What do you.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Well, I think. Yeah, I think, you know, we did an experiment after. In 2016, that show who's America? Came out of me and my collaborator, Ant Hines and Dan Swimer. We basically said, you know what? Let's just create some characters. I'd done a movie. It'd been a complete bomb. And I was like, let's take this opportunity to create some characters. And we decided to go every week for the next 10 weeks, we're going to create a character, write it, create a fake prosthetic head for it, and at the end of the week, shoot with a real person with the character. And I did that for 10 weeks. And there are a variety of crazy characters, some that made it to the show. Six we put in the show. And then I realized basically what I was able to do is once I've got the way the character speaks and once I work out what it looks like and once I work out what the clothes are, and I've got a couple of phrases I can just stick in it. So that was. Because that was a couple of weeks in, I was like, oh, this is what I can do, is I can. You Know, they call it inhabiting a character, but I actually kind of, you know, If I've got 30 seconds, whatever, then I'm. I can go in it, probably. There must be something wrong with my brain.

[Will Arnett]

No, I think some people, it's just comfortable to them to pretend to be somebody else, and they just know how to be super subtle and convincing and authentic, and it doesn't trip them up and you're able to stay in it.

[Sean Hayes]

Well, there's a freedom. But. There's a. But there's a freedom, too, if you think about it, because a lot of those times when you're shooting, especially some of the. Sort of the. Whether it's Borat or Bruno or whatever, you've created a character or multiple characters, but the people you're working with are not aware that they're in a scene in the same way. Right. So it's much a. It's difficult because it's complete verite. Right. You're actually in their real life. Right. So you've got to not just convince the audience, you got to convince the person you're dealing with in the moment that you're real. A real person. Right. Yeah. So you've got to do that. And there must be a certain. I don't know, like, making that leap is tough, I would imagine, like, just getting into that.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

What?

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Making it real. I mean, it's funny. Sometimes I get. You know, I'll have a director say, you know, I want you to do, you know, a scripted movie, and they'll go, this time you're gonna be playing a real person.

[Will Arnett]

Right.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

And I go, hold on. The other people I play are real people, which is why I'm with Dick Cheney. So I'm with Dick Cheney for three hours, and he's. He doesn't doubt once that he's with a real person.

[Sean Hayes]

What about Giuliani?

[Will Arnett]

I mean, thank God you started that.

[Sean Hayes]

What can you say? Can you say anything? Can you talk about Giuliani? Yes.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Yeah, I can, I think, talk about Giuliani.

[Jason Bateman]

That was amazing.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

I mean, essentially, you know, that movie. So we were like, why did we bring Ball Rat back? And actually, I gotta thank Kimmel, where Kimmel said, we want you on. It was like the midterms, and he wanted me to do some sketch where basically I was a kind of Ashton Kutcher type who had been manipulating Kanye west into turning him into a character that was so ridiculous that he would hang out with Donald Trump. And basically, I said, I'll do it, so long as Kanye will do it. This was years ago. This was 2018, right? And so I called up Kanye, I said, will you do this thing? And it would be. He'd already met up with Trump. And I said, will you do this sketch where it says, you know, we're planning out, you know, we're going to create this ridiculous character, and it's going to end up with you in Trump Tower, and it's going to be as if you were playing along. And he said, I love the idea, but, you know, I need the President to agree. And I was like, trump. I go, don't. No, no, don't ask him. So, wow. I couldn't do. He goes, now he goes, no, I love him. And. And I want you to. I need to ask him. I go, please do not tell him we're doing this sketch at all. So I couldn't do that sketch. And then basically, I decided to do ball rat. Actually, I spoke to Chris Rock. Is that a name drop? I think so.

[Will Arnett]

Sure, we'll pick it up.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

It's a kind of name drop.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, yeah, here it is.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's a name drop. So I spoke to Chris Rock, world famous comedian and actor, and he said, why don't you. I was in a rush. Basically, I was going to go on air two days time. They said, just do Borat going door to door. We did Borat door to door, got the moustache out of storage. And then I realized that basically, ball rat was just an extreme form of Trump. They had almost identical views, except bull rat was kind of 30 to 40% more extreme with everything. I said, oh, great, we can bring him back for Trump. And then I was like, how do I infiltrate, you know, Trump's world? I go, okay, if he has a daughter who's 15, wouldn't it be great if, you know, Trump had sex with her? And so originally, I was trying to work out how to get this actress in with Trump. We got her close to him for a while, but it was. We spoke to a lot of ex Secret Service guys, and the idea was like, I would kind of jump out of the wall somewhere. We had, like, all these plans where, you know, Trump would be in a room, I would be inside the wall. We would, you know, hollow out a wall, then build it up around me, and then I'd burst out when he was with her. And we took an ex top Secret Service guy, looked after President, and we go, what do you think of this plan? I'm going to be in there. I'll be in there for, like, five Hours. He said, the issue is that the Secret Service have a machine that sees if there's anyone else, anyone in the walls. And I go, all right. So I go, what's worse? Comes worse, they find that I'm there and what, they pull me out. He goes, no, they shoot you dead. I go, why? He goes, because why else would you be in a. Why would there be a living person inside a wall unless they were trying.

[Will Arnett]

To safe assumption that they can't negotiate with a guy like you. They just kill him.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

So we basically gave up on Trump also, you know, we thought at the time that, you know, he was the most protected person in the world. I mean, this was prior to those last unfortunate incidents.

[Will Arnett]

But Rudy.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

But then we found out Rudy was a possibility, a little bit of a softer target. Yeah. But we knew that he was going to be crucial.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

And we kind of researched him. We found out what. What he drank, when he started drinking.

[Sean Hayes]

Was it was the answer anything.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

I think there was a particular type of alcohol. But then we heard that he would sweep the room. He had a very senior head of security. He would come in and sweep the room. And so we built a kind of fake cupboard inside the wardrobe. So a fake back to. There was a wardrobe that if somebody opened it, it would have a fake back to him behind. That was me. And so the idea was I'd just stand in there for, you know, an hour and a half, and then there's necessary bit jump out if he was close to kissing, you know, the girl playing my daughter. And anyway, basically, the. We had a crew member who accidentally put me in the wrong room. And I said, you know, when is. You know, so I would have to be in position for, you know, for this to happen. Otherwise, you know, there's no way to get into the room. Because his head of security would come into the room, sweep the room, sweep every room, and then he would sit outside so no one could come in with Ruby, Rudy and her. And I was in the wrong room. And I said, wait a minute. How long till Rudy, you know, goes to the room? And he said, oh, he's on his way there now. And I was like, now? And basically I ran to the room, and I literally saw Rudy's leg come around the corner. I ducked into the room, went into the wardrobe, went behind the fake wall, closed it, and then I heard the door open. Office security, you know, sweep the room that I was in and then come out. So he swept all the room. We did the scene, you know, eventually. Oh, by the way, so I'm in there for an hour and a half, and, you know, the only way I can communicate with the director was through a cell phone. And we thought of everything. I pick up the cell phone, I'm in the pitch black, and there's 3%, you know, an hour and a half. I was like, we did everything. We've got hidden cameras. We've got the. But we. Somebody had not charged the cell phone. So at some point, I had to kind of climb out of it and make eye contact with the brilliant actor Maria, who's playing my daughter. And she's like, rudy's on the bed, and she's, like, coming out looking me going, what do I do? And. And eventually, I confronted Rudy. He freaks out, goes out the room, and his head of security pushes me into the room. You know, I'm playing Borat. And Borat, you know, is so naive. You know, if he sees a chair, he'll say, what is this machine with four legs?

[Will Arnett]

You know?

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

And suddenly the head of security is pushing me back into the room, going, you're going nowhere. Cause I had an escape route. So my security guy was gonna take me down the escape route, but the head of security pushes me into the room. He goes, you're going nowhere. You're staying right here. And I said, this is false imprisonment. You are standing on my property, and you will leave now and unhand me now. And basically, he realized that and read the law, ran down. Ran down the fire escape, got into a car, got to the crew, hotel. And then essentially, my lawyer says he found out what we did, and he said, okay, you got to get out the state now. Okay, that's ridiculous.

[Jason Bateman]

Why?

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

They go, rudy. Rudy had called something. And I'd met the manager of the hotel a year onwards in D.C. and he said Rudy had done something. I don't know what. He called in, but he said every single type of law enforcement descended on the hotel, shut down the hotel. They confiscated all the equipment. All the crew were stuck in the hotel rooms. And then my security, I had a policeman that I'd hired. He realized that I'd set up Rudy Giuliani. He immediately told Rudy's security where I lived, where I was staying.

[Will Arnett]

Christ.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

And so my lawyer was like, get the hell out of New York City now. I was like, that seems a little bit over the top. I called up this other security guy. I know. I know a lot of security guys who runs these kind of detectives, you know, New York and stuff like that. And I said, listen, I've been told I have to leave New York State, you know, in the next 20 minutes, because I interviewed someone and I go. He goes, what did you do? I go, you know, wore, like, some lingerie and da, da, da. As a politician. I go. He goes, who was it? I goes, you know, it's Giuliani. He goes, get the hell out of the hotel now.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, my God.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

I start texting everyone who I knew outside of New York. Hi, how's it going? Da, da, da. Haven't seen you for a few years. This was the middle of the pandemic. You know, this is when Manhattan was completely empty. You'd go up Fifth Avenue. There was not a car or a person. I go, how's it going? Any chance I could stay soon? When? 15 minutes. And people, like, you know, people are, like, freaked out, not responding. Eventually, one of them says yes, and basically I drive to Connecticut, and it was fantastic.

[Will Arnett]

But you got all the footage and you got your equipment.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

We got all the footage and then, yeah, it was interesting. It was interesting.

[Jason Bateman]

Incredible.

[Will Arnett]

And we will be right back.

[Jason Bateman]

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[Will Arnett]

So Sasha, I would imagine that the thrill of acting and also the sort of the, and the social relevance, political relevance of some of your efforts is thrilling. Does it compare with the just the pure acting thrill of being in a film that's directed by Martin Scorsese? I mean, that's just one third of what you're doing when you're doing your other stuff. Is it? Can you compare the two of them? Are you drawn towards one versus the other?

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

I mean, I am. I remember the first film I did was Talladega Nights and it was the first trailer I'd been in and I went in Ricky Bubby and basically I remember seeing that there was a bed in the trailer and I'd never had a trailer beforehand because we'd Always been in the back of a car. I was like, why is there a bed? Somebody's accidentally put a bed in my room. They go, no. I go, what am I going to do with it? Sleep. And so I thought, wow, this is actually an incredible gig. When it's the other staff. It is. I mean, it's much less stressful. Yeah. Although, you know, I just did a. I just did this show with Alfonso Cuaron.

[Will Arnett]

Yes. Let's talk about that. That's coming on.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Well, we had like a 15 minute scene. Yeah. With me and Cate Blanchett. They wanted to do in one take.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

And that became pretty exhausting and pretty.

[Will Arnett]

Do you have a passion for acting? Like, the freaking craft of acting, you know?

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

But I mean, if it's good and you're working with an incredible director.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Then. And you're an incredible director, my friend.

[Will Arnett]

I love you so much.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

No, you are. Can I just say no?

[Sean Hayes]

No.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

You take the remainder of this about Jason.

[Will Arnett]

But.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Yeah, then it's. Then it is.

[Will Arnett]

But it's in different categories for you, though. Yes. I mean, it's not comparable, Right. They're different things. Yes.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

No, no, because you're just doing the act, you know, everything else is, how are we going to get into the room? What's the escape route? Who's that person? That person's looking suspicious. This person doesn't quite believe me. My fake ear is falling off my head. You know, and then you're, you know, number eight in the thing. Is performance the same, right?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Now, Sasha, are you. You know, I speak on behalf of millions of people that are fans of yours. Like, I am, like, huge fans, where we're constantly waiting for your next thing. Because you're one of the few artists that combine art and politics and have been so successful in all of those improvisational types of, whatever you call them, movies where you play these characters. Obviously you can't tell us what it is you're working on, but could we expect another character to pop up in a movie soon? Are you excited about that type of thing, to do that again? Because on the. From the outside, I can't wait.

[Sean Hayes]

Short of the straight acting thing with. With.

[Jason Bateman]

I can't wait for. For those types of things again. Or are you.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

I think they are. Yeah. I mean, the last one became so extreme, and it was, you know, after that, you know, gun rally thing that I was talking about.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

I was essentially on the run. I had a militia kind of following me, and we were going. I was going from Safe house to safe house for about four days.

[Sean Hayes]

That's the movie.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Yeah, exactly. By the way. I mean, it's. That was. Yeah, it kind of is the movie because, you know, you finish that song with that militia, you go, that went really well. And then, you know, the escape itself is tough because we're in an ambulance. We're surrounded by 30 guys trying to pull me out of the ambulance. They pull open the door, you know, I'm.

[Jason Bateman]

But we can't get enough of that. We can't get enough of that.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Yeah, I mean, no one's, you know, that's the behind the scenes stuff there. At some point, there needs to be a behind the scenes movie. We shot. We did have. We've got a bunch of footage over the last 25 years, but. Yeah, that I think it became so crazy in the last one that you realize you've, you know, you've got to be. There's a certain amount of skill and preparation, but also you've got to be lucky. And at some point, your luck runs out. Yeah, yeah, your luck runs out.

[Will Arnett]

And just the practicality of it, because it has been so successful for so long, this, this type of, you know, again, for lack of a better term, ambush type of thing. Like, people. People know you. They love these films. Millions and millions of people have seen them. You just can't sneak up on anybody anymore.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Yes, well, I think just the danger element meant that I just didn't really want to do it again. You know, I felt I had to do it for that election. I had to do it. I felt it was like, you know, I was terrified about what's his name.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, let's not come off the gas just yet, okay? Yes. We're not out of the woods yet, Sasha. We still need you.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

That's true.

[Will Arnett]

You know, I haven't asked you one fucking question. And we're done.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

You have.

[Will Arnett]

We're finished with the time. No, I've got all these things all, like, highlighted and everything. I apologize to the listener. We haven't done any legitimate journalism here. Let's at least talk about disclaimer and working with Alfonso Cuaron and Apple and Cate Blanchett. I mean, it's. It's well, well, well deserved for your acting talents to be, you know, working with these people at the top of the profession. So have you seen it all the way through? Disclaimer?

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

I watched it for the first time in Venice.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

And I mean, no one could believe that I hadn't watched it until then. And I'm like, The embarrassing thing was I was laughing at the jokes that I make. And there's not many, but it's quite embarrassing. You at premiere watching yourself and you're one of the only people laughing at Jack Steve. And then I was like, really moved by one of my performances. I was like near T and I realized I'm just a complete narcissist. Just looking. Just really moved by my own performance.

[Sean Hayes]

Wait, wait. It wasn't until Venice this year that you realized that.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Wow. I never knew there was a connection between actors in movies and narcissism. No, I love that.

[Will Arnett]

I'll bet it's. I'll bet it's absolutely stunning. It's. It's actually come. It comes out October or it came out. When is it came out?

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

When is it? Yeah, when's this coming out?

[Will Arnett]

October 11th.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, it came out.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Came out October 11th.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, it Came out October 11th.

[Will Arnett]

It was amazing.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

It's incredible.

[Sean Hayes]

No, I mean October 11th.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

It was.

[Sean Hayes]

The weather was so great that day.

[Will Arnett]

That was a great. Sasha, when do we get to. Were you coming back to Los Angeles at any time? Soon and we can hang out again like the old days.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Damn it. I love seeing you.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

And Sean, it'd be lovely to meet you in the flesh.

[Jason Bateman]

I would love that too. I'm around. Just give a shout if you need a place to crash when you're in trouble in New York again. Yes, my place is yours, right?

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

If you don't mind militias coming to your door.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

No. Are you kidding? What do they look like?

[Will Arnett]

You were really, really nice to say yes to this. I know you don't do this a lot.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

No, no, no. I'm awful at it. The honest truth is I'm very bad at it. I'll see you socially. Socially, it's a pleasure. But the slight pressure with the no pressure.

[Sean Hayes]

No, this is great. This is fantastic.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Very muscly. I can see your. I don't know if you're doing this intentionally, but you're sure? I've seen glutes. No, you've been working out. Looking very. Are you doing doing this for a reason?

[Sean Hayes]

This is from my pin up Collect my pin up collection.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Early shows.

[Sean Hayes]

I think this was my July from my calendar.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Wow.

[Sean Hayes]

Wow.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

You really actually do look incredible.

[Will Arnett]

Prison with Arnett. That's the calendar. Sasha, thank you so, so, so much.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

No, thank you.

[Will Arnett]

We love you a lot. Please come outside.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

I love you. No, seriously, I love you both. Sean, you seem very lovely and he's.

[Will Arnett]

The best of the three of us.

[Sean Hayes]

Ms. You, Sasha.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Always pleasant, these two. I do love. I do love.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, we're trash compared to him. Where do you go?

[Jason Bateman]

I love you, Sasha. Even though we don't know each other.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

I love you, you love me. I feel affectionately. I feel an instant warmth.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, he's a little love thing.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Very charming and lovely Persona.

[Will Arnett]

You just want to pet him when you see him.

[Sean Hayes]

He totally does seem like that. You're right.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

You're not going to sue me for saying that, are you? Came on too strong on a podcast.

[Jason Bateman]

Loved it.

[Will Arnett]

Thank you and thank you and goodbye. Enjoy the rest of your night.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Thank you. Thank you, Fergarinzi.

[Will Arnett]

I can't wait for disclaimer, everybody. Check it out. I think it's.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Honestly, I would say I thought it was excellent, personally.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, we'll see you at the Emmys. I'll bet.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

I was clapping.

[Sean Hayes]

I hope they put. They should put that on the poster. I think it's excellent.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

I personally thought it was excellent.

[Sean Hayes]

By the way.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

I have seen stuff that I've done. I was like, that is bad. I laughed and I cried at myself.

[Sean Hayes]

But it'd be pretty fucking funny to have a quote from one of the stars of the film.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Just all of them. Cate Blanchett. Cate Blanchett, a guaranteed Emmy tour de force. Cate Blanchett, end of quote. Kevin Klein. I am in this.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, Kevin Kline's in it, too.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Kevin Clinton, he's actually fantastic in it.

[Will Arnett]

God, I love him.

[Jason Bateman]

I love it.

[Will Arnett]

More from him. All right, enjoy the rest of your night. All right, thank you.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

See you soon, man. Love to everyone. Okay. Toodaloo. Thank you.

[Will Arnett]

Thank you. Bye, pal.

[Sean Hayes]

Bye. Bye.

[Jason Bateman]

That's a great guest, Jay. That was really, really good.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. Great job.

[Will Arnett]

Love him.

[Sean Hayes]

He's funny.

[Jason Bateman]

Great stories.

[Will Arnett]

One of the funniest guys ever. I mean, he's up there with Sean Hayes, Will Arnett, and Will Ferrell. In my world, I just, like, they just can't. I get in an instant good mood when I watch.

[Jason Bateman]

Well, nobody. I was going to say to him, nobody does. I mean, it sounds so cliche to say it, but it's true. Nobody does what he does. Nobody's ever done what he does.

[Will Arnett]

No one's got the intelligence, the balls, or the acting talent to do what he does.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, it's like Peter Sellers, which is.

[Will Arnett]

His hero, by the way.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, really?

[Will Arnett]

We didn't even get into that.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, yeah, it's like a version of that in real life when he goes.

[Sean Hayes]

But, I mean, playing it to the real world.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, that's right.

[Sean Hayes]

Which is so such an interesting.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, it's really cool. I never met him before. He just seems so.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, shit.

[Jason Bateman]

I'd love to hang out with him. Yeah, he'd like to hang out with me.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

So funny.

[Will Arnett]

Greatest at a party, I just start to hover and he's eventually got to walk away from me because I just put in too much time.

[Jason Bateman]

He seems hyper intelligent.

[Sean Hayes]

He is.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, yeah. Cambridge educated.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, wow. Yeah, of course. Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Not a ding dong. Speaking of ding dongs, what's for lunch today, Sean?

[Jason Bateman]

I'm gonna do a French dip. And with French, always.

[Will Arnett]

Why is it always something special? Like something. It's got. It's always got something with sauce or. Yeah, like some kind of, like, really electric flavor to it. How about just like some sort of sustenance?

[Jason Bateman]

Aren't you amazed at how fast I know my answers whenever you ask what I had or what I'm going to have?

[Will Arnett]

Well, we're cutting into it right now, Right. You can probably smell it. Right?

[Sean Hayes]

Where's the clock in the East Coast? Smell it.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah. Is it already? It's just waiting.

[Sean Hayes]

Where is it from?

[Jason Bateman]

No, I'm going to order the second night. There's a place a block away. I can't remember the name of it.

[Will Arnett]

Don't say the name. Someone will try to poison you.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah. No, I can't remember, but it's a block away. It only takes a second to get. Yeah, it's so good.

[Sean Hayes]

Wow.

[Jason Bateman]

It's so good. It's one of the best in the city.

[Will Arnett]

You know what I'm gonna have?

[Jason Bateman]

What?

[Will Arnett]

Nothing. Yeah, because you know what you should have. Because I've got this stupid level of discipline about. Because of my passion for my character, my strong.

[Jason Bateman]

I get it. I know you do. I know you're joking, but it's true and it's very admirable.

[Sean Hayes]

And it's not a healthy way to do it.

[Will Arnett]

I know. I'm tired of being thin.

[Jason Bateman]

But Wednesday. That's what I'm saying. Wednesday after Wednesday is over and you wrap your beautiful show, an amazing show that everybody's gonna go apeshit about.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, Thursday. No, Wednesday. Or no. Yeah, Wednesday I wrap. So Thursday, our dinner. Can it be something super fattening?

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, I have to have. So I'm not. Because I have lost weight, I'm on a new thing, which is it's all about eating more and eating the right thing. And that's what I'm talking about. Losing weight unhealthily is not. Not good. You can lose weight and also do it in a healthy way and look like this or like, how you doing?

[Will Arnett]

So then what am I going to have Thursday night? Am I going to have steak? You know, is steak okay?

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, a lot of steak and veggies. No starch, no bread, no. Nothing like that.

[Jason Bateman]

Why can't you. Can't you do pizza? Can you do pizza?

[Sean Hayes]

You can have a little bit. No, no, no, man. A little bit of starch at lunch. A tiny bit. Like a little bit of. Maybe a sweet potato, a couple pieces, Maybe a little bit of rice. Like that much? Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

You got to release the valve every once in a while. So you want a little tiny little bite of pizza.

[Sean Hayes]

One cheat meal a week.

[Will Arnett]

One meal to keep your metabolic rate going, right?

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, one, but it's not about. But here's the other thing. It's not fast metabolism or slow metabolism. It turns out hot or cold. And what you need to do to keep your metabolism hot is you need to feed it with the right stuff at the right time of day. I went and saw this guy. Unbelievable.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Unreal. And he did this?

[Will Arnett]

A guy you're dating or. Oh, a nutritionist, you mean?

[Sean Hayes]

We're just seeing each other. He. I mean, I met him. I met him right behind. You know the party store on Sunset? Sure. So.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

So I'm with him.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, I know the guy.

[Sean Hayes]

And I hear he says, I'm gonna.

[Will Arnett]

Be in a Corolla.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

And he. And he. No.

[Will Arnett]

Anyway, how many times did he flash the brights? What was the code?

[Sean Hayes]

Well, it was Morse code. And I thought he said to help. And it was, hello, can you help? Can you help me with my pants?

[Jason Bateman]

Is what it was. He was just. He was just, you know, he was just a person. He was like bystander. Bystander.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, well, just commit to it.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Just do that.

[Will Arnett]

Someone's hungry, don't stop. Try to do it without going up. Up on. Okay.

[Jason Bateman]

Okay. So the guy I. Well, I know that guy that you met behind the party store. He was just a regular B.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah. Not as good, but. Bye, everybody. Bye.

[Sean Hayes]

Smart. L. Smash smart less. Smartless is 100% organic and artisanally handcrafted by Bennett Barbicow, Michael Grant, Terry and Rob Armjarf. Smart Less.

[Jason Bateman]

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[Will Arnett]

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[Jason Bateman]

Wherever you're heading, getting there starts here with State Street.

[Sean Hayes]

Before investing, consider the fund's investment objectives.

[Sacha Baron Cohen]

Risks, charges and expenses.

[Sean Hayes]

Visit ssga.com for perspectives containing this and other information. Read it carefully.

[Will Arnett]

DIA Subject to risks similar to those.

[Sean Hayes]

Of stocks, all ATs are subject to.

[Will Arnett]

Risk, including possible loss of principal. Alps Distributors Inc.

[Sean Hayes]

Distributor.