Sacha Baron Cohen says the FBI ‘compiled a little file’ on Borat during filming

The American authorities weren't impressed with Borat's antics stateside

Sacha Baron Cohen has revealed that the FBI showed an interest in him and his team during the filming of the movie Borat, and went as far as to go looking for him in his hotel.

The comedian traveled in an ice cream truck during filming, and complaints about the team’s use of the vehicle as well as the stunts Borat pulled prompted the FBI interest, Cohen told the podcast WTF with Marc Maron.

“[The FBI] got so many complaints there was a terrorist traveling in an ice cream van,” Baron Cohen told Maron. “They started compiling a little file on us and eventually they came to visit us at the hotel. I obviously went missing when I heard because they were like ‘FBI’s downstairs. Sacha, disappear.'”

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The incident wasn’t Baron Cohen’s only run in with the law, either, with complaints surrounding the filming eventually leading to the team having to hire a person specifically to deal with potential arrests.

A second example Cohen gives involves his jumping out of a window and breaking his heel to avoid Kansas police during the filming of later movie Bruno, causing a filming delay.

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Baron Cohen related the problems back to a character in his latest movie Grimsby (The Brothers Grimsby in the US), which came out yesterday.

“We hired a guy and his job is, he’s a bit like Nobby, actually,” Cohen explained. “His job is to prevent me from being arrested.”

Grimsby‘s cast also includes Penélope Cruz, Rebel Wilson, Johnny Vegas, David Harewood, Ian McShane, Gabourey Sidibe and Baron Cohen’s wife, Isla Fisher. Cohen’s latest opened in UK cinemas on February on 24, and will be released in the US on March 11. Watch a (NSFW) trailer for Grimsby here.

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