3 hours ago
11
Sacha Baron Cohen transformed into his iconic character Ali G for the premiere of his comeback movie Who Iz I in LA yesterday.
The 55-year-old comedian wore the character's trademark yellow costume as he hit the red carpet with Morgana Robinson, 44, who plays Ali's girlfriend Julie.
Julie, who was played by EastEnders' Kellie Bright in the original 2002 movie, is dubbed 'Me Julie', and the film's soundtrack included a song with that name by Baron Cohen and Jamaican-American reggae artist Shaggy.
Ms Robinson was in full character at the premiere, as she preened and posed in a skin-tight bodysuit with sky-high heels and space buns in her hair.
Baron Cohen's promo trail has been defiant in the face of calls for the mockumentary to be banned UK cinemas, with a petition being launched by campaigners amid claims the film and character are 'enforcing racist stereotypes'.
The actor, in his directorial debut, filmed the movie secretly over the course of a year with the mockumentary following his character's life 'since the world went to c**p', alongside his pregnant girlfriend.
Sacha Baron Cohen transformed into his iconic character Ali G for the premiere of his comeback movie Who Iz I in LA on Wednesday
The comedian, 55, wore the character's trademark yellow costume as he hit the red carpet with Morgana Robinson, 44, who plays Ali's girlfriend Julie
Morgana was in full character at the premiere, as she preened and posed in a skin-tight bodysuit with sky-high heels and space buns in her hair
Baron Cohen and Ms Robinson made a statement in their characters' looks, with the latter pulling out all the stops with her racy moves on the red carpet and on stage.
Criticism for the Amazon MGM film, which is due for release in cinemas on October 23, has been widespread.
A day after the trailer's release in August, NewsCord, a UK news comparison and media monitoring platform, started a campaign urging cinemas around the world to refuse to screen the film.
The campaign group have said they have emailed 15 major chains globally with the request on behalf of those who register.
At time of publication, NewsCord had reached a total of 44,946, with an explanation for the campaign reading: 'On 11 January 2000 the Guardian reported the verdict of Black British comedians under the headline "Comics find Ali G is an alibi for racism"...
'Felix Dexter, who helped build The Real McCoy: "He allows the liberal middle classes to laugh at black street culture in a context where they can retain their sense of political correctness."
'Jeanette Winterson: "I don't know what the difference is between him and the Black and White Minstrels."'
Phil Clapp, head of the UK Cinema Association, told Variety in response to the campaign: 'Cinemas are there to engage and entertain the widest possible audience. They are not there to act as censors or arbiters of public taste.
Julie, who is dubbed 'Me Julie', was played by EastEnders' Kellie Bright in the original 2002 movie (Sacha and Kellie pictured in the film)
Sacha and Morgana made a statement in their characters' looks, with the latter pulling out all the stops with her racy moves on the red carpet and on stage
Sacha and Morgana made a statement in their characters' looks, with the latter pulling out all the stops with her racy moves on the red carpet and on stage
Her bodysuit was designed to create the illusion of underwear
'So where a film has been given a certificate by the BBFC [British Board of Film Classification], they will decide whether or not to play it solely with the likely response of their audience in mind.'
A defiant Baron Cohen himself also addressed the growing backlash, writing on X: 'In an age where a comedian's career can be ended by a single un-PC joke, I thought I'd play it safe and bring this guy back.'
Reports have suggested that the UK cinema chain Picturehouse had responded to the campaign and confirmed their outlets would not be screening the film.
However, Variety has since reported that Picturehouse's email was a standard customer response to any release query about a film that hasn’t yet been booked by the company and didn’t appear on its schedule, with no decision yet made.
Last year, it was first reported he was 'bringing back his iconic comic creation, 27 years after the character first appeared on screens – where he was staged as the "voice of youth" on Channel 4's The 11 O'Clock Show in Autumn 1998'
Baron Cohen teased the return of the comedy legend with a surprise appearance at Wimbledon in July, where he donned his character's trademark look of bling jewellery paired with a tracksuit and sunglasses.
Last year, it was first reported he was 'bringing back his iconic comic creation, 27 years after the character first appeared on screens – where he was staged as the "voice of youth" on Channel 4's The 11 O'Clock Show in Autumn 1998'.
Subsequently, he became the title character of Da Ali G Show in the early 2000s, before starring as the titular character in 2002 film Ali G Indahouse.
In a 2007 interview with The Daily Telegraph, Baron Cohen announced that Ali G had been retired. However, he resurrected Ali G at the 2012 British Comedy Awards to accept his Outstanding Achievement Award.
He returned to TV as Ali G with Ali G Rezurection in 2014, which featured new footage of Ali G while showing old highlights of Da Ali G Show.
English (US) ·