Sacha Baron Cohen Planning To Stroll Oscar Red Carpet As 'The Dictator,' Academy: It's a Bad Idea (THR, DH)
By Nancy Tartaglione-Moore
Sacha Baron Cohen is reportedly planning to attend the Academy Awards in character as The Dictator, the eponymous role he's playing in the upcoming Paramount movie. Hollywood Reporter sources say Cohen has informed Par of his wishes while Deadline reports that the proposal has been floated with the Academy, and everyone involved in the ceremony is adamantly against it on the grounds that it makes a mockery of what Hollywood considers its most prestigious event.
An Oscars spokesperson told Deadline: "We would hope that every studio knows that this is a bad idea. The Red Carpet is not about stunting."
Cohen has a history of using awards shows and other big events to hype his movies. For "Borat" he arrived at the Toronto Film Festival dressed up as his TV journalist alter ego and also spent a fair bit of time on the Cannes Croisette in a yellow mankini. At the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, he came as Bruno, ultimately being lowered onto audience member Eminem's face.
"The Dictator" character is a sex-crazed Gaddafi-meets-Hussein ruler who fights to stop democracy from coming to his country, notes THR.
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