In fact, one of those performances just hit streaming about a week before Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. So, if you’re in the mood to experience two recent and very different examples of Baron Cohen’s range, you can make it a movie night with both. For that and more of his dramatic, non-guerilla-comedy work, keep reading. And for more stars who’ve disappeared into their roles, check out 14 Actors Who Looked Unrecognizable in Major Movies. ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb Baron Cohen has one of the lead roles in Aaron Sorkin’s new movie based on the notorious court case involving anti-war protestors from different organizations who crossed paths at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. In The Trial of the Chicago 7, which just dropped on Netflix this month, he plays real-life activist Abbie Hoffman. And while his character is seen performing standup comedy and pulling funny, anarchic stunts in court, there’s plenty of dramatic material for the actor to dig into as well. For flicks that are way older than you thought, check out 30 Beloved Movies You Won’t Believe Are 30 Years Old. Also on Netflix, Cohen stars in the 2019 miniseries The Spy, in which he portrays another historical figure: Mossad agent Eli Cohen, who spent a significant part of his career undercover. “Baron Cohen couldn’t have found a role more well-suited to his gifts and career to date,” critic Alan Sepinwall writes in his review for Rolling Stone. “The Spy is a thriller played entirely straight, but it also feels like Baron Cohen’s persona with vastly higher stakes.” He even earned a Golden Globe nomination for his performance. The Thénardiers are among the more comic characters in Les Misérables—and they certainly have the jauntiest song in the musical—but in the 2012 feature adaptation of the stage show, Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter are still playing heartless innkeepers who (spoiler!) financially bleed Fantine (Anne Hathaway) until she dies—young, starving, and penniless. Who’s laughing now? For some of the most terrifying films from the decade that reinvented horror, check out The Scariest Movies ’90s Kids Can’t Forget. Baron Cohen plays a bumbling but menacing station inspector in the 2011 film adaptation of the novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret, a family-friendly adventure about the orphaned son of an inventor. That means that, five years after Borat came out, he was being directed by Martin Scorsese. Not too shabby. Another movie musical, another villainous role. Then again, there really aren’t many good guys in the tale of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Nevertheless, Baron Cohen shows up in the 2007 Tim Burton adaptation of the horror-musical as Aldolfo Pirelli, a con artist who puts on an exaggerated Italian accent to pedal his “miracle” hair tonic to unsuspecting Londoners. He tries to blackmail Todd (Johnny Depp), who happens to be a serial murderer, and you can probably guess how that goes for him. For more movie recommendations sent straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
