Sacha Baron Cohen Accidentally Uncovered Something Shady While Filming

The following article includes allegations of domestic abuse and sexual assault.

Sacha Baron Cohen's comedic approach requires a depth of commitment that few accomplished method actors could even achieve, as well as an instinct for when to dig deeper and when to back off from the bit. When speaking to Deadline back in 2018 about why he went undercover again after his 2009 film, "Bruno," the comedian shared that he felt like Donald Trump's presidency made it clear that it was time to reassess America's cultural temperature. The actor said Trump's presidency ushered in a new age of misinformation, conspiracy theories, and alt-right groups getting bolder under his influence. Baron-Cohen went on to make a huge discovery.  

"I realized, I have to do something else to deal with this kind of anger and total disgust at what was going on. So, purely for myself, I realized I had to go undercover again," said Baron-Cohen to Deadline. However, the undercover process is a taxing one; it includes building backstories for each character and conducting hours-long interviews that hinge on the other person being completely unaware of the joke. However, Baron-Cohen asserted that the Trump era empowered people to speak more openly about their radical views because the head of the government seemed more than comfortable doing so. 

Before starting work on what would become a short series released by Showtime, "Who Is America?" Baron-Cohen went through a difficult decision-making process. Still, he shared, "As difficult as it was, as unpleasant as I knew it would be, I felt it was time to create new characters that were designed to expose people, and expose politicians and those in power."

Sacha Baron Cohen's conversation with the Las Vegas concierge took a shocking turn when he began discussing relationships with underage persons in order to provoke information from his interviewee, per Deadline. He told the outlet, "We wanted to investigate how does someone like Harvey Weinstein gets away with doing what ... get away with criminality, essentially. And the network that surrounds him." Weinstein has had allegations stacked against him since his former career as a concert promoter in the 1970s, per the BBC's timeline and a New York Times follow-up story after their initial report on Weinstein in 2017.

In character as Gio Moldonado, Baron-Cohen told the concierge that he had an interest in relationships with young boys, and asked for advice on how to keep a recent situation quiet. The actor was in complete disbelief when the concierge gave him the number of a lawyer who could help him avoid legal action for his misconduct. Staying in character, Baron-Cohen expressed relief to have a potential solution to his predicament. He then told the concierge that he wanted a "date" for the evening, describing a boy whose age is ideally "lower than Bar Mitzvah but older than eight." The concierge, who seemed to have experience setting up this kind of meeting said, "Yeah, I can put you in touch with somebody who can get you some boys like that."

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.