PodClips Logo
PodClips Logo
Sway
Sacha Baron Cohen Has a Message for Mark Zuckerberg
Sacha Baron Cohen Has a Message for Mark Zuckerberg

Sacha Baron Cohen Has a Message for Mark Zuckerberg

SwayGo to Podcast Page

Kara Swisher, Sacha Baron Cohen
·
30 Clips
·
Feb 25, 2021
Listen to Clips & Top Moments
Episode Summary
Episode Transcript
0:00
Support with this podcast and the following message come from E-Trade. You want to invest your money, but there's one problem. You're not sure where to begin. Luckily. There's E-Trade who offers more than just trading each trade simplifies investing without the financial. Jargon and has the people to offer guidance and support to make your money work hard for you for more information. Visit each trade.com sway E-Trade Securities, LLC member finra sipc.
0:44
I'm Kara swisher and you're listening to sway. My guest today is actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen this year. He's been nominated for three Golden Globes including for the Netflix film The Trial of the Chicago 7 in
0:57
He plays 1960s civil rights activist Abbie Hoffman, but the world knows Baron Cohen best is the characters that have come before Ali
1:05
G Booyakasha. Check this out. Yo Bruno so why is being gay so out this
1:11
season and of course bar at the actual match. I'm not a little boy that I like it you
1:18
I like sex. It's
1:20
nice. I love or at
1:25
Yet my personal favorite performance is one Baron Cohen actually delivered as himself. It was a keynote address at the 2019 anti defamation League Summit in it. He called out some of the biggest names in Tech the Silicon
1:39
600 billionaires all Americans who care more about boosting their share price than about protecting democracy.
1:53
This
1:54
this is ideological imperialism 6 unelected individuals in Silicon Valley imposing their Vision on the rest of the world unaccountable to any government and acting like they're above the reach of law
2:10
the Silicon six. Why didn't I think of that? Yes, Sasha Baron Cohen and I share a hobby and it's calling out immensely powerful people.
2:23
Let's talk about a group. You called the Silicon six and these are terms you coined for Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook Jack Dorsey of Twitter. Susan would just give YouTube Sundar pichai of alphabet Google Larry Page and Sergey Brin also the founders of Google you and I share a passion for calling out there nonsense. This is of course my job. So why are what motivated you to take them on?
2:45
So listen, I've tricked me told I've always been reluctant to be a celebrity. I've always been wary of using whatever.
2:52
Fame I've got to push any political views, but under Trump the racism the anti-Semitism misogyny there. I hinted upon occasion the first Borat movie burst into the open. It was spewed by trumpet is really being spread by social media, especially Facebook and I was appalled by Trump's Muslim ban and the white nationalist rarely in Charlottesville and 2017. Therefore when the ATO invited me to receive
3:22
We've been awarded 2019. I considered it for the first time this, you know, I've been wary of the dangers of social media for a number of years. I had been trying to get other celebrities to talk about it because of my inherent reluctance and no one really cared and then when I did bump into people from Silicon Valley at Hollywood parties, because yes billionaires want to go to Hollywood parties to meet
3:52
They
3:53
say oh I've been there with them. Yeah,
3:55
I would try and get them in a corner and say listen, this is going on and you know, this is going to lead to the end of democracy, and I'd give them my whole Spiel and their answer would be Oh, I thought you were going to be a bit funnier. So at one point, I had quite a heated discussion with one of the mat and not gallery opening in San Francisco about Holocaust denial. Just asking why they were allowing.
4:22
Holocaust denial and they said no, we're not we've sort of that how and I pulled up a website. Okay, what about this? And it was a website saying that the Six Million was a lie? Yeah, it was supposed to know site and they said well that that's just really just showing both sides of the argument. That's it. What what argument there's an argument about whether the Holocaust existed and then you have this fundamental realization that a lot of these people they're incredibly smart in a tiny area, but they should not be given the reins of power. I
4:52
It's so mad that this handful of people have the power of empress right? It's it this period will be looked on as absurd that governments did not intervene earlier that these people were allowed to profit off spreading lies that lead to mass
5:12
death. Okay, so you don't break into character often. Usually Ali G or Borat or Bruno, but you decided to give this speech as yourself why
5:21
well it was
5:22
Typically that it was a year away from the election and I believed that Trump and trumpism would win again by spreading lies conspiracies and hate through social media conspiracies about the election and through racism and hate and and there was a predisposition for that stuff to succeed and be more digestible and watchable on social media. For example, as you know, YouTube's algorithm.
5:52
Just to make it more engaging if people watch it more they can increase the sales of advertising right Facebook and Google and YouTube are all about advertising. And the way to do that is you make the next thing that you see increasingly more extreme. It's this kind of radicalization algorithm, which is why I felt I had to say something. I didn't think it would have much of an impact. I fell you know,
6:22
No my ambitions for my career were pretty limited growing up in Northwest London. You know, I wanted to join a theater company called theater to complicity. So I never thought I was going to have my own TV show. I never thought I'd be given the money to make a movie. I didn't know anyone who's a successful actor. So by the time I got to 2019, I sort of accomplished everything that was beyond my wildest dream. So I felt that that speech might end my career people say what the hell is he lecturing us about?
6:52
He knows nothing about just stay in your lane. Stop being you know, stop just be funny. And by the way, a lot of the responses I got on Twitter and Facebook were just shut up and be
7:03
funny and be funny stay in your lane. They do it to a lot of people.
7:06
Yes. A lot of that stuff is really organized by these troll armies. Yes, they do something else if D these armies of trolls are used to intimidate people on social media. So actually it's not really a place where there's much freedom of speech because
7:22
Particularly, if you're a minority or a woman or you say stuff that to the left you are bullied. So I felt compelled as a human. I was very reluctant to do it.
7:33
Well, it was it worked out. Well and one of the things I appreciated in this you made in the speech was the distinction you made and I'll quote you saying this is not about limiting anyone's Free Speech. This is about giving people including some of the most reprehensible people on Earth the biggest platform in history to reach a third of the planet. I've spent years trying to explain why social media companies can't hide behind the First Amendment why?
7:52
You think that's such a difficult message to get across
7:56
it's difficult because they've been saying it for so many years. So they've been lying right when Mark Zuckerberg just says, I'm the defender of free speech he is lying, right the US Constitution says, they're Congress congress not companies Congress shall make no law abridging freedom of speech. So that does not apply to private businesses like Twitter and Facebook if they want to ban violent rhetoric and
8:22
Harassment they have every right to do so and the analogy I made in the ADL was that if a Neo-Nazi comes Goose stepping into a restaurant and starts threatening customers and saying he wants to kill Jews. The restaurant owner has every legal right and actually a moral obligation to kick that Nazi out and so did the internet companies. So the idea that they are the Defenders of free speech is is ludicrous. I mean, they make editorial decisions. Continually, they don't allow nipples, but they did allow Nazis. So yeah.
8:54
It's a lie, right? It's a lie that they're using to make money,
9:00
but it's a cratering comedian. The first amendment is critical to your work. Would you be okay with Twitter? For example, D platforming the borad handle because it's not a real person or adding a disclaimer to a hateful or heated tweet. Would you worry about that yourself as a
9:13
comic? No, I mean if they gave her handle explaining that was satire thing. That's fine. I mean, but Borat is satire, I think.
9:22
The roller comedy is important. It's not as as important or as crucial as respecting and buttressing up the fundamental pillars that protect democracy, you know. So for example, there was a lot of talk by circular gravity and come up to the election about freedom of speech which obviously have a huge defender of but what about free and fair elections, which are the fundamental pillar of democracy? No one's talking about that and the Trump government.
9:52
Lies that they could undermine that other pillar there are a number of pillars that buttress up democracy. You know, one of them is protest so free and fair elections is probably the most crucial one particularly in an election year and they were completely undermining it by spreading the stop the steel hashtag and beforehand by spreading the idea that mail-in ballots were subject to
10:18
corruption and January 6 around 5 p.m. You
10:22
We did at Mark Jack Susan and Sundar saying it's time to ban Donald Trump from your platform once and for all I did the same thing and was quite worried about what was about to happen. As I saw it unfold. Did you think it was going to get this
10:34
bad? Yes. That's why I made Borat Bora was an attempt of mind to do what I could prior to the election to infiltrate Trump's in a circle because I felt he was so dangerous and because I was convinced that conspiracies.
10:52
End in violence made a show called who is America where I took a conspiracy theorist who believed in the danger of antifa, and by the end of the episode, which was I spent two days then he believed that he had murdered three members of antifa, you know, it's a crucial thing with these people who are Marching on the Capitol and not necessarily bad people. It's the people who are spreading these lies and conspiracies if you believe in the
11:22
A conspiracy then everything you do from there is logical if you really
11:26
believed or have been made to believe.
11:28
Yeah, if you've been made to believe that Biden was a paedophile and a cannibal and had stolen the election and Trump had one then yes, it's logical to March on Washington and maybe to try and overturn that vote. It's the conspiracy theory and those who spread it and make money. There are at
11:47
fault. Where do you stop that thing is beat Trump should be banned outright from all these platforms.
11:52
Including YouTube, which is something you've talked about a lot.
11:55
Yes. I believe him permanently Banning him the world's largest platforms have banned the world's biggest purveyor of Lies conspiracies and hate the impact was actually huge one study done by signal Labs found that after Twitter removed Trump. There was a 73 percent drop in disinformation about the election on social media. So we don't want YouTube and Facebook or Twitter to lift their
12:22
pensions and allow Trump back on to spread his lies and incite violence, you know, he still has complete freedom of speech. He has probably more free speech than just about anyone in the world. He puts out statements. They make headlines. He can go out and give a speech anytime he wants but the idea that his Free Speech has been Abridged is is ludicrous.
12:43
You can also make the argument as several people have to me is that Hitler didn't need Twitter Mussolini didn't eat Instagram. Stalin didn't need Tick-Tock. Although I can't believe I'm saying that and
12:52
Sentence but they didn't need these things and they managed to be as malevolent as they were. Do you think it amplifies the
12:58
malevolence? I really don't agree with that. I mean if you look at Google's first thing he did was you know, his social media was Radia he realized that was the new medium and he realized that for example in Austria if the Nazis took over a lot of the programming on radio that they could make the
13:22
evasion and the taking over of Austria easier fascists and autocrat are experts on new ways of spreading disinformation. They need them and they specialize and they focus in on these New Media precisely because they're unregulated. So that's what makes social media perfect for
13:41
autocrat to have high hopes for the vine Administration or this car has to do anything whether breaking them up or changing section 230 to remove liability protections. I know when your 2019 speech you
13:52
Justin Zuckerberg and other social media CEOs should get jail time, if their platforms continued to be tools of violence or election
13:58
interference. Yes, I think there needs to be regulation in virtually every other industry. You can be sued for the harm you cause Publishers can be sued for libel people can be sued for defamation. I'm still being sued by her royal more like you. Yes, that's another story there. But these companies can't be sued right because section 230 if the
14:22
the communications decency act currently Facebook and companies like it cannot be held liable for the death. They cause I think that's completely insane. Right? So if you look at how it should work when Mike Lyndell the my pillow guy who for those of you who use his wonderful product when on use max the other day and started spewing lies about the election the host shot him down why because news Matt can be sued but Facebook and social media
14:53
Companies spread the very same lies the millions of people because they're protected by 2:30. So you already have some exceptions to section 230 social media companies is you know, that can be held liable for hosting content related to criminal conduct like copyright infringement sex trafficking prostitution and child pornography to my point is if they could be held liable for enabling pedophiles who use their side to endanger kids then why
15:22
Can't we hold these companies responsible for those who use their sites to advocating the mass murder of kids because their race or religion if your actions online cause harm or death in the real world, you should be liable. I think it's quite simple to fix this which is instead of making money off lies the cost lives. I believe that these social media companies should create jobs that save lives right? There are three problems that I think you could solve at once.
15:52
One which is even during the pandemic Facebook and social media companies are making massive profits by spreading lies and conspiracies about covid and vaccines, right? They are profiting off of death to Facebook and other social media companies. And when I speak to them they go Sacha where overwhelmed how we meant to do it. There's so much stuff being uploaded every day. They claim that they're artificial intelligence catches most of the inappropriate content, right, but they
16:22
A claim that their real-world content moderators can't keep up with the volume. The third problem is because of the pandemic millions of people are unemployed. So my thought
16:32
is hire these people
16:34
why can't Mark Zuckerberg? Yeah job see right? Why can't they hire hundreds of thousands of people to enforce their policies as content moderators? They can afford it General Motors at its peak in the 70s employed more than 800,000 people around the world.
16:52
Last year Facebook made 86 billion dollars and they did it with 50,000 employees Facebook could hire Americans to help protect American democracy higher Brits to protect British democracy in the same all over the world, right? It would put people to work and stop the lies save lives and buttress up democracy.
17:13
I like this idea.
17:14
Great. I was hoping you would
17:23
I'll be back in a minute.
17:26
If you liked this interview and want to hear others hit subscribe, you'll be able to catch up on sway episodes. You may have missed like my conversation with former parlor CEO John mates and you'll get new ones delivered directly to you more with Sacha Baron Cohen after the break.
17:55
Because of covid-19 internet traffic is spiked. But Comcast is prepared. They've created a powerful network with one simple purpose to keep customers connected since 2017 Comcast has invested 12 billion dollars to grow and evolve a smart reliable Network and now with many of us working learning and entertaining at home. Their coverage has helped millions of people stay connected when they need it most learn more at Comcast.com slash network what is happening?
18:25
I'm Shane O'Neill from the video features
18:27
team at the New York Times and dear podcast listener. I want you to rest assured every day. Every journalist of the New York Times is looking for the answer to that question. So what are we finding we're finding out the trees are talking to each other. We're finding out that dancers took voguing to the
18:43
streets during protests. We're finding out about a new administration's intentions for the first hundred days. We're finding out what's for dinner in the Arctic. We're finding out how to live on a hotter Planet. We're fine.
18:55
In out that a llama who went missing in New York
18:57
found his way home from our biggest challenges to our
19:00
quirkiest questions, New York Times journalism helps us navigate this moment, but we can't do this work without our subscribers if you're already a subscriber. Thank you. And if you'd like to join us and become a
19:11
subscriber, you can go to nytimes.com subscribe.
19:19
Most recently Baron Cohen appeared in the trial of the Chicago 7. The film is based on the true story of anti-war protests held during the 1968 Democratic National Convention Baron Cohen plays Abbie Hoffman a founder of the 1960s hippie movement and an activist with a sense of humor often found space for comedic stunts even in the face of his highly politicized prosecution. I wanted to know what Drew Baron Cohen to the project and why he thought the story was still
19:48
Element 50 years
19:49
later
19:51
I've been connected to incontinent for 13 years and it's been getting increasingly relevant. And I think it's about the power of peaceful protest when standing up against Injustice and The Bravery of those people that do that it's also about the Persistence of systemic racism. The film shows the horrific treatment of Bobby seale, who is the only black defend it and we were actually filming this prior to the protests over the
20:21
I drove George Floyd and so really it's a it's a tribute to anyone who stands up against Injustice from Ukraine to Moscow to Kenosha to Portland. When I read the script the second time it was actually during the hearings for Brett Kavanaugh and the hearings were supposed to be about justice. But what we saw at the time was profound Injustice to me Professor Ford was swearing that her allegations were true.
20:51
True and I remember one of the committee asked Brett Kavanaugh to swear before God then what he said was correct and that was enough for the Committee Member and it felt like we were seeing two parallel Justice systems here one a modern one where she's appealing to fact and proper recollection and evidence and one depending on belief in God. I mean, it could have been a thousand years ago. I couldn't believe things happening.
21:21
Same like a perversion of justice system that didn't work and I felt more compelled than ever to play
21:29
Abby. Did, you know the story of Abbie Hoffman for you? Took this part?
21:32
I'd first learn about him when I was studying in Cambridge. I was doing my undergraduate thesis on Jewish activist in the civil rights movement and I was particularly inspired by left-wing Jews who went down south to fight systemic racism Abby.
21:51
Hoffman was one of them he was a guy who was ready to sacrifice his life to Fight Against Racism and fight for justice. And also what inspired me was. He was a year P his Antics and pranks got all the attention, but he was deadly serious, you know, he was risking his life to fight racism and fight the war in Vietnam, but his conviction was completely pure and he was ready to sacrifice his
22:20
life.
22:21
The film's writer and director Aaron Sorkin recently wrote that part of the reason it took 14 years for the film to be made is because he didn't immediately get Hoffman's character Stark and said quote. I thought he was a clown not particularly clever and I wasn't seeing the heroism that change when he saw archival footage of Hoffman at a press conference a moment you recreate in the film.
22:53
What's your price?
22:56
my life
22:59
Talk a little bit about this moment of being a hero
23:02
was interesting you were talking about Aaron and my first meeting with Aaron was 13 years ago. And this was the debate actually which was his our behalf and a hero. I felt strongly that he was Aaron at that time thought know he was this fool, you know, it's telling the air and chose to replicate that scene from reality. So everything else is Aaron's painting rather than a photograph is using his
23:30
brilliant screenplay skills to create this wonderful story, but there he recreates that same pretty much word for word because he thinks it's crucial and so do I which is underneath the layers of this clown in this seemingly full is this deadly serious Brave protest there who's ready to risk his life and the the Antics were the more I read about him and I tried to
23:57
read everything I could and watch everything. I could out of went down to archives and hurdled stand up that he done everything was intentional without being even his comedy. You know, he was very very influenced by Lenny Bruce. Yeah. He tried to emulate the way that Lenny delivered gags who's actually even influenced by Lenny's trial that convinced the happy that they were going to jail. It didn't matter. What would
24:27
During the trial the aim of the trial was not to declare their innocence. It was to convince people back home that the war in Vietnam was immoral and he was using these tactics of the booth for which is a type of theater that I studied under this French clown teacher that itself is an absurd sentence to hear
24:52
the years of French clown
24:53
teaching exactly, but I did actually actually coincidentally my wife.
24:57
Studied under his rival French clown teacher. But anyway, wait, there's two there were two might too. I studied in likkle Philip goalie and my wife started in Laconia Jacques lecoq, and there was a very serious break off at one point where Philip co-ed broke off from his mentor Jacques Le Coq probably over a debate over red noses. I'm not sure
25:23
right right. So
25:25
but this guy Philip Cody it
25:27
Two specially both of them teachers some of the only people in the world who teach this style of theater called bufo bufo is an early form of satire to Medieval form where essentially the dispossessed in medieval Society who were generally forced to live outside the villagers and they were heretic priest gay people Jews. Those with disabilities were allowed in once a year and they would try to put on these plays kaboom.
25:57
Van plays that were intended to be really funny but were intended to completely undermine and destroy the powerful in the establishment and I felt looking at a be that he was a booth for like saying he would levitate the Pentagon bringing thousands of people to do that or
26:16
so, they were stunts. They were stunts that were of political science to be effective.
26:20
Yes to be effective and they were effective because as are and you know, the final script brings in this argument
26:28
With Tom Henry says this is the reason we're doing that. We didn't have the resources. This is how I'm getting attention. Your Abby was incredibly aware of the media and that was something that became very clear on errands later scripts where they're going to demonstrate where the cameras are inside the bar. It's like the 60s never happen outside the bar the 60s were being performed very one who looked out of the window.
26:57
He knows that the whole purpose is to get attention and get into the living room. So he knows that they're not going to win that you're going to try and win the
27:05
heart. What's interesting is you do that too. And I hate to say this is something Trump does rather. Well, he plays for the stunt for the audience his is malevolent. He's sort of the evil clown sort of the clown from It, I guess.
27:17
I mean, yes, you know Trump is a competition. He was very aware of the power of humor to engage his audience.
27:27
I don't find it funny but his crowd found him really funny. So yes, you know that's part of the reason why he was so effective and so entertaining Abby knew that mocking The Establishment would be his key. He used to say that sacred cows made the tastiest hamburgers and he realized that if he can make people laugh he can gain attention and recruit more people to the course. I mean everything he did why I read about him was
27:57
I play intentionally, even though he gave this kind of loose. Yes, right feeling, you know, even the length of his hair was an attempt to influence hippies to go out and risk their lives to demonstrate against the war in
28:12
Vietnam, right? Hoffman is obviously left-of-center character this opens up him to criticism in the film. For example, there's a scene where his more buttoned up co-defendant Tom Hayden calls him out on doing this. My problem is a for the next 50 years.
28:27
When people think of progressive politics they're going to think of you they're going to think of you and your idiot followers passing out daisies to soldiers and trying to levitate the Pentagon. So they're not going to think of equality or Justice. They're not going to think of Education or poverty or progress. They're going to think of
28:44
a bunch of stones lost
28:46
disrespectful foul-mouthed Lawless losers and so will lose elections. Well, it strikes me that 50 years on this meme of progressive as idealistic sort of
28:57
He's in Rebel Rouser still exists. Do you think it's fair to characterize Hoffman or modern-day progressives like this?
29:03
Well again, I'm not a historian if that particular period yeah, I I specialize more in the early 60s, but yes, I mean so Kim is a master and you know, what he's trying to do is bring these issues into the present. So yes, this is about the debate between the left and the far left, which he beautifully encapsulate in the hatred of Abbie Hoffman.
29:27
- and Tom Hayden. He actually got that from sitting down Tha made where they they were in effect these brothers that hate each other in the end of the movie. They they love and respect each other. I mean, I feel that change starts with pressure in the streets. They were both aware of that Abby felt that they needed to win elections, but needed to push Society to winning elections. That's the first thing on your wish list equality Justice education poverty in progress their
29:55
second if you don't want to lecture
29:58
It doesn't matter what second and it is
30:01
astonishing to me that someone still has to explain that to you. Okay, but you do see this kind of Internet seen struggle within the left. I mean where you're far less effective as a force often because there is less uniformity there is less. There's less of an ability to say. Okay eyes on the prize, which the Republicans were able to do, you know, let's concentrate on winning the election and fall into line in
30:27
Instead there is often, you know an attempt to destroy each other again.
30:30
And what's interesting is when you go fast forward his life ended sadly. Did you think about that at all when you were playing him where he was headed since you knew the end of the story?
30:41
Yes, I mean the truth is Happy battled depression and later took his own life and I felt he was somebody who is struggling quietly and I wanted to capture that seriousness and that subtlety the contrast between his public dynamism.
30:57
And his sensitivity and occasional private pain, but yes, I mean it's hinted at and it's shocking when you see it on screen, you know, you find out what happened to all the characters you find out that our baby died later on if you compare them to the rest of the Chicago seven, you know, Jerry Rubin, I think he became a
31:15
stockbroker. Yep. Yeah. Remember he hippie the Yuppie and yeah
31:18
Tom Hayden obviously had a political career, but Abby never sold out, you know, and he remained true to his ideals. So
31:27
so I fell in love with him.
31:30
So you obviously tweeted borad is an absurdity and the Chicago seven really happened. But the message is the same When leaders lie people die. Can you expand what you meant by that?
31:40
Yes, I mean these were you know first here's the Tweet. So I'm trying to sum up stuff very quickly and
31:47
the I'm familiar with
31:49
Twitter. It's not the most subtle form of communication, which is why I was so effective, but you know,
31:57
Vietnam was a lie, right there was there was no moral basis for that. And then with Borat, you know, I was trying to say these lies that were being spread by Trump whether about coronavirus or about the election would lead to death and were leading to death. I was trying to create some connection between the two
32:18
you did a lot of things in Borat that didn't all your characters where you got them to do things like you got the cake person to put
32:27
Jews or yes, it's useful not
32:28
feels will not replace us which was the Charlotte's thing. You put a series of conspiracies everywhere and they quickly take over you think it's unfair at all to do it that way or do you think it's again like getting back at me Hoffman? It's a way to get out the truth from people to be doing these different things. I don't know what to call them. What do you call them or they pranks or
32:47
that I prefer not to call them pranks. I mean essentially what I do is I point the camera and people act as they do so
32:57
Some people will end up appearing Dreadful, you know really do the Army didn't come out looking great. It's something that I realized very very early on the first time. I did Borat which was I took ball wrapped when I was 25 years old to a pro foxhunting rally and it was a way to get these members of the upper class to really say what they believed about criminals and ethnic minorities other said, you know in my country were hunt Jews would give them
33:27
It stopped
33:28
and let them rob you think we should do it here and there's well I suppose if it was fair and you gave them, you know, at least 20 or so minutes, then yes, I suppose that you know, so it was a fascinating insight to me. You know, when I start doing for at first I actually pitched it as a documentary. So I was going around the BBC and channel 4 just go this is a new way to have these documentaries which are trying to shed light on topics.
33:54
But on what people really
33:56
think yeah what
33:57
They really think we'll what they're saying behind closed doors.
34:00
So speaking of close to ours. I want to ask you about Giuliani. So let me give the context you filmed him. He's caught with his hands down his pants after a fake journalist. Your co-star Maria Buckle OVA had removed his mic after an interview. Was there any footage we didn't see and why did you not wait a little longer before bursting out of the closet to see what he would do. How did you make that
34:22
call? So that was a difficult call so
34:27
Rudy we were told was coming with a cop who he employs as you know really has a tremendous amount of respect in amongst the NYPD and we were told that the cop would sweep the room as a result of that. We built a little Hideaway for me inside a wardrobe and I essentially stood there for an hour while the interview was going on. My only means of communication was a cell phone with the director and
34:57
Jason Wallander and the producer had Hines and so they were essentially saying okay go in now as the there's one time. I actually went in there three times. The first time was in a room service trolley, which we did ended up not showing a room-service guy brings in a room service. Trolley. I'm actually hiding underneath there. I poked my head out from underneath the tablecloth with a sign to my daughter saying don't do it and she's like, you know, and essentially, you know, Rudy was slightly suspicious turns.
35:27
I have to put the tablecloth down in the end. I remove that the second time I came in as a sound guy and the third time I came in to stop what was happening. But I yeah, I was relying on the Jason Wallner the director and and Heinz detects V and the wiring they was we done everything to try and make sure that the interview went. Well, you know, we had hidden cameras yet amazingly by the way Rudy, you know, the president's lawyer signed a contract.
35:57
Act in which he allows the use of hidden cameras. So he's not the most diligent at reading
36:03
contract. Wow. No, I well. We know
36:05
that the one thing we didn't have was enough battery in the phone. So I had about three percent of battery when I got in there switched on the phone.
36:13
Do you wish you had waited longer to see what I thought you were correct in your thing. He of course denies it other people. It was like a law. It was like internet detective work on the internet on Twitter for days and days what he was doing
36:25
precisely. Well, I think
36:27
You saw is what he did is what it what it is. You know, I trust the audience and everyone can watch the movie in just for themselves. But essentially I had to keep a rear safe. We had an escape plan. We I was going to run down the stairs, but actually Rudy's bodyguard gets me and pushes me into the room and says you're staying here till the cops arrived and then suddenly I'm you know, I'm ball real time someone, you know, Borat doesn't understand. What chair is that? What does this machine with four legs suddenly?
36:57
We brought has a real understanding of the law. Excuse me, sir. This is my room. I have paid for it under the law. You are not permitted in my room. You must leave now and he say no you're going to stay in him. No that is false imprisonment. You are not allowed to I'm instructing you to leave and then essentially I left with the security guard. We ran down the steps Rudy calls the cops lies to them and says that a federal crime has been committed and as a result the cops.
37:27
Search the
37:27
room. Yeah, what is the Fallout from the whole thing?
37:31
I think tellingly Rudy has not sued because he knows that he would lose but you know, it does make you wonder what did really try to do two other female journalists and I think you know the wonderful thing about it was we had no idea how impactful how pivotal really would be in the final month of the election and post-election. It's in spreading this Li The Fallout is that
37:57
The whole world is seen really for what he
37:58
is. Which one do you prefer the characters that you have or this sort of IV Hoffman, which is a more sort of pure acting experience.
38:08
I prefer playing Abbie Hoffman. I mean, I've loved playing Borat but it's sometimes dangerous and there's no fun in going out when it's dangerous. I want this to be the last Borat movie and it's far more enjoyable and relaxing to be an actor in their hands.
38:27
The masterful screenwriters and directors, you know, it's nice having a trailer. It's lovely having craft services in chatting to you know, the Fantastic cast of Chicago seven in between takes, you know, it's not a fun experience making poorer or who is America. It's difficult my crew the directors my co writers and producers they are they're taking not insignificant risks by
38:57
Going out and shooting a gun rallies where they risk arrest or being beaten up or sure, you know, we were told at that come rally that if they found out that you were an infiltrator or not a believer that they would get covid positive people to spit at you. So that quite apart from the fact that so many people were carrying semi-automatic weapons. And finally I got surrounded in the getaway car by an Angry Crowd who were who were carrying guns and trying to pull me out of this vehicle,
39:25
right? Well you were an
39:26
infiltrator
39:27
You know, it's it's not pleasant. There is some exhilaration when you manage to survive it and I think you know Maria back orlova certainly experience there, you know, she was so nervous before every scene but brilliantly pulled off everything we threw at her and then she was exhilarated. But for me, it's a little more heavy because I escaped from the gun rally and my main concern as a producer is have the rest of the crew got out. You know, how we got the footage out and is everybody's safe. So no.
39:57
I'm not returning to that style of Comedy
39:59
again. What are you doing? Next?
40:00
I am not doing anything. Oh, I am unemployed. I am taking a
40:06
break. All right. I have one last question mark Jack and sooner will speak in Congress again on March 25th. If you were on the Dyess very briefly. What would you ask and what character would it be?
40:20
I'd probably ask them as myself was it worth? It was the huge amount of money that
40:27
You've amassed worth the destruction that you've reached on democracy and the death that you've caused. Was it really worth becoming even
40:37
richer. I like Sacha Baron Cohen's voice of all of
40:39
them you like the Northwest London voice? Okay,
40:41
it's yours. I like it. It feels genuine. I don't know. Maybe it's not. Thank you so much and good luck with the Golden
40:47
Globes. All right. Thank you for having me on I'm a massive fan of yours. I listened to your podcast. I radio are
40:53
to thank you so very much. Thanks a lot. All right. Bye.
40:57
Bye.
41:08
Sway is a production of New York Times opinion. It's produced by Naima rasa. Hatela Bonnie Matt Kwang Daphne Chen and vishakha DARPA edited by Naima rasa and polish human with original music by Isaac Jones mixing by Eric Gomez and fact-checking by Kate Sinclair and Michelle Harris special. Thanks to Shannon Busta lie real Higa and Kathy to
41:31
If you're in a podcast app already, you know how to subscribe to a podcast. So subscribe to this one. If you're listening on the times website and want to get each new episode of sway delivered you faster than Rudy Giuliani can tuck in his shirt download a podcast app like Stitcher or Google podcast then search for sway and hit subscribe. We release every Monday and Thursday for make benefit glorious nation of sway.
ms