It’s tradition for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to announceThe Academy Awardspresenters in the days and weeks leading up to the big show.Sacha Baron Cohenwas one of those presenters, who, along withOlivia Wilde, presented a highlight reel for one of this year’sBest Picturenominees,Room. The actor appeared in a traditional tuxedo during the red carpet coverage, but when it came time to present,Olivia Wildewas joined by none other than Ali G, one of Sacha Baron Cohen’s beloved characters fromDa Ali G Show. On Monday, the actor appeared on the U.K. talk showGood Morning Britain, where he revealed he was explicitly told not to present in character.
“The truth is we actually had to sneak it in, because theOscarssat me down before and said they didn’t want me to do anything out of order, they wanted me to actually just present it as myself. But luckily my wife put on the Ali G beard in the disabled toilets, and I managed to get away with it.”
The actor’s wife,Isla Fisher, revealed they had to lock themselves in the bathroom for 40 minutes to put on the beard, and that they told others trying to get into the bathroom thatSacha Baron Cohenhad food poisoning.Deadlineactually obtained video from the bathroom, which showsIsla Fisherapplying the fake goatee onto her husband. While we aren’t sure who actually shot the video, it was apparently made with the actor’s consent.
No one, including the Oscar producers and his co-presenter,Olivia Wilde, knew that he was going to come on stage as Ali G. The actor did reveal that he got the thumbs up for this bit from hostChris Rock. Here’s what the actor had to say, admitting that he was nervous about how the crowd would react, but he went on with the bit after gettingChris Rock’s approval.
“I mean, there were a few moments I was a bit worried how they’d react to the first gag. But I bumped intoChris Rockactually on the way on and pitched him the gag, and he gave me the thumbs up, so I went for it.”
This isn’t the first time the actor has courted controversy at the Oscars. In 2012, Sacha Baron Cohen caused quite a stir appearing on the Oscarred carpetdressed as his character from the comedyThe Dictator, General Alladeen. He even dumped what he claimed were an urn filled with dictator Kim Jong-il’s ashes onRyan Seacrest. Click on the image to view the video from the Oscar bathroom, and, in case you missed it on Oscar Sunday, you’re able to check out the video from the awards ceremony below.
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