Los Angeles: In a spoof video, funnyman Sacha Baron Cohen dressed up as his alter ego Admiral General Shabazz Aladeen to warn Academy against banning him from the Oscars’ red carpet tomorrow. Not one to let any chance of publicity go by, Cohen had put the Academy people in a fix by declaring that he will attend the event as his character from Dictator.
The Academy, however, put a stop to it by telling the actor that he was welcome to attend the ceremony but he will not be allowed to use the red carpet to promote his upcoming film.
In his reply, the actor dressed up as his character, to release a funny video on YouTube, saying that the West will face “unimaginable consequences” if he is banned from attending the event.
“On behalf of the nation of Wadiya, I am outraged at being banned from the Oscars by the Academy of Motion Pictures of Arts and Zionists. While I applaud the Academy for taking away my right to free speech, I warn you that if you do not lift your sanctions and give me my tickets back by 12 pm on Sunday, you will face unimaginable consequences,” Cohen said.
The 40-year-old was invited to the Oscars because he has earned a best supporting actor nomination for his role in Martin Scorsese’s film Hugo.
“On top of all of this I have paid Hilary Swank two million dollars to be my date, and she will not refund a penny. My Sunday calendar is now as empty as a North Korean grocery store,” the actor said, taking a dig on Swank, who had landed in trouble recently for attending the birthday party of Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov.
In Dictator, Cohen plays a totalitarian, who is trying his best to keep democracy away from his country, Wadiya. (PTI)
