Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat as Freddie Mercury?
Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Music & Musicals, Casting
This is pretty much just a rumor, and one that I have a lot of trouble believing, but supposedly Sacha Baron Cohen is in talks to play Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in the biopic we told you about last fall. The 'news' comes from the Daily Mirror, which claims to have heard from an unidentified source that Cohen is a strong candidate for the role. The last we heard about casting ideas for the movie was that Johnny Depp was being offered the role, but it is very possible he's too busy to take it. Still, the likelihood that Cohen would be a fitting substitute is, in multiple ways, laughable.
According to the source, Cohen actually modeled the look of his Borat character on the likeness of Mercury. Certainly the resemblance is striking. Yet because of the resemblance, Cohen's portrayal of the singer would be too hindered by the connection. Is there any way that audiences could take the performance seriously if they are constantly being reminded of Borat? I don't think so. The source is quoted as saying that Cohen loves the idea that he could get away with playing a real person after aping his image, but Cohen has to be smart enough to realize that he couldn't in fact get away with it. He would have to be the greatest actor alive to pull it off. Of course, he could very well be. I just don't imagine the film's producers would take the risk to find out.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-04-2007 @ 8:57PM
Ryan B said...
If you've seen Cohen's "Da Ali G Show" you would know that he is capable of creating a number of different characters. It's hard to believe that Bruno, Ali G, and Borat are all the same guy.
I think Cohen could pull it off.
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5-05-2007 @ 7:17PM
Guffin GacGuffin said...
I'd just as soon shoot myself. I'm a member of that minority that finds Sacha Baron Cohen offensive, and I'm a big fan of Queen. I'd really rather Cohen relegate himself to spins-off of his show, so I would never feel inclined to see him in anything, ever again.
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5-09-2007 @ 6:03PM
hamish said...
Cohen is without a doubt the actor for the job. Borat is but a fraction of his range, as you will soon discover.
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5-17-2007 @ 6:54AM
mDavid J said...
Hey Guffin, you might like this little number then, thinking man's alternative, goes by the name "Boycott Borat." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R3U9oeYdgY#GU5U2spHI_4
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6-07-2007 @ 3:55AM
billy said...
Sacha Baron Cohen is going to win an oscar one day. his crude sense of humour has gotten him a bad reputation and lawsuits, but the Cambridge actor can most certainly pull off Freddie Mercury. Besides, in all his glory and showmanship, Mercury truly was a pervert on stage anyways. anyone who's actually been to his concerts can most likely agree with me.
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