Sacha Baron Cohen Opens Up About His Career’s Biggest Mistake

Sacha Baron Cohen once revealed one of the biggest regrets of his career during a Reddit AMA promoting his 2016 film The Brothers Grimsby. A fan asked him if there was anything he wished he hadn’t done, and Cohen shared a wild story from his Bruno days.

“There was something that I regret not doing, which was, I was on this Australian late-night talk show, and the talent booker had made a massive mistake,” Cohen said. He explained that the talk show had accidentally booked the Prime Minister of Australia at the same time he was scheduled to appear.

At the time, Cohen was performing as his character Bruno and had a full striptease routine planned, complete with tearaway pants and a g-string. “My intention was to lap dance the Prime Minister of Australia and stick my crotch in his face. It would have been an international incident and probably would have got me barred from Australia,” he said.

However, Cohen admitted he ultimately backed out. “But, unfortunately, I wimped out of doing it and eventually was also barred by his own security,” he added. The show in question appears to have been ROVE, an Australian variety program hosted by comedian Rove McManus that ran from 1999 to 2009. At the time, the Prime Minister was Kevin Rudd, who did appear on the show, though Cohen and Rudd never shared the screen.

Cohen’s story highlights the extreme and sometimes risky stunts he has attempted in his career. Even when he pulls back, the plans themselves are shocking enough to leave a lasting impression on fans.

This story shows just how daring Cohen has been in his comedy. It’s wild to think about what could have happened if he had gone through with it. What do you think, was Cohen right to back out, or should he have gone for it? Share your thoughts in the comments.