Here's Who The Instagram Star From Borat 2 Really Was
Sacha Baron-Cohen's Borat 2, or Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan to give the movie its full title, is generating headlines worldwide thanks to the celebrated comedian's innate ability to make conservative talking heads and regular citizens out themselves in the most embarrassing manner possible. Much of the coverage, understandably, has focused on a particularly queasy moment with Rudy Giuliani.
The highly-anticipated sequel sees the British satirist reviving his Kazakh journalist character, Borat Sagdiye, on a return sojourn to America with daughter Tutar (played by Bulgarian actress Maria Bakalova) in tow as a "gift" for none other than Vice President Mike Pence. Smartly, Cohen dropped the movie on Amazon Prime right in the midst of one of the weirdest and most contentious election cycles in American history. Among the many high-profile cameos, however, an influencer pops up whom you may not recognize right off the bat.
Macy Chanel portrayed a proud "sugar baby" in the movie
While preparing his daughter to be presented to Pence, Borat takes her to meet an influencer and self-professed "sugar baby," i.e. a younger woman who primarily dates older, wealthier men, who teaches Tutar how to attract the opposite sex. When Tutar explains that she would like a man who's near death, the woman advises her to go for "someone who's just had a heart attack." She also recommends Tutar get a makeover.
Instagram influencer Macy Chanel portrayed the dating expert in Borat 2. However, as she revealed in an interview with IndieWire, Chanel was under the impression the filmed scene was part of an upcoming Netflix series. She argued, "I was misled into playing a role and being cast as someone that does not reflect who I am." The influencer added, "I have enjoyed a successful modeling and acting career where I can play any role given. In this case and probably many others I did not read the 'fine' print. As well as lacking the resources to read every casting contract."
The Instagram star feels she was misled
As Chanel explained to Page Six, she takes her career very seriously and being a so-called "sugar baby" doesn't accurately reflect her values. She argued, "I have worked hard in a sometimes cruel and ugly industry to build my resume and will continue to work hard so Sacha [Baron] Cohen will not determine how my acting career is defined." The Instagram star claimed to be "shocked" upon discovering her involvement in Borat 2.
Chanel advised that she was suckered into participating thanks to a "well-crafted email" about a comedic role that involved helping a newcomer to the States learn the ropes of dating. Of Bakalova, Chanel remarked, "Maria is an excellent actress, but at no point did I believe her character was authentic," adding that she simply played the part, and played along, as required. In spite of everything, however, Chanel found the experience "overall hilarious."