Sacha Baron Cohen’s Ali G: Who Iz I? co-star feels “exhausting” to work with him. The comedy, which marks Cohen’s feature directorial debut, opens in theaters today.
Speaking to Variety, British comedian and impressionist Morgana Robinson, who plays Ali G’s girlfriend Julie, described what it was like to work with Cohen. She said, “He will not let you break character. So we’re in character for eight hours. It’s exhausting.” Robinson added, “Normally, when you’re acting, you’re like, that was a very big take, is it lunch break? But here you’re eating lunch in character or whatever you’re doing because they’re watching. It’s wild.”
Recalling a moment from Ali G’s filming, Robinson revealed, “He’d march me down to the mall and be like, ‘Go and have an argument with some people and buy some socks and then come back and then call up your mother and have a conversation as Julie and eat that bento box as Julie. How would she use chopsticks?’ He’s mad.”
The new Ali G movie with Sacha Baron Cohen has been the subject of much controversy
Ali G: Who Iz I? has been marred with controversies ahead of its release. Sacha Baron Cohen recently tried to defend the film’s controversial and racist jokes, which have drawn significant backlash. While Cohen acknowledged the “outdated” and “problematic” elements, he argued that they were “the very reason” he decided to bring Ali G back in 2026. “All the prejudices my characters are designed to expose haven’t just lingered – they’ve metastasized.”
Ahead of its big-screen debut, the film has received negative reviews from most critics. Several critics have questioned whether the comedy resonates with modern audiences, describing it as more provocative than funny. Currently, the movie holds a poor 47% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 19 reviews.
Distributed by Amazon MGM Studios, Ali G: Who Iz I? is now playing in theaters.
Originally reported on ComingSoon.
