10 Times Borat Went Too Far
8. Wine Tasting (Da Ali G Show)
The toughest part of playing an insane persona like Borat is staying in character no matter what and Cohen’s skills as an actor were definitely tested here.
In his ongoing attempts to understand American customs, Borat was invited to a wine tasting club in Mississippi to sample some of their finest drinks. Anyone who knows anything about wine tasting will be aware that you’re only meant to take a small sip of each wine on offer before spitting it out. Borat, of course, downs each glass he’s given like it’s freshers week and Cohen clearly struggles to keep up the comic façade as he gets more and more intoxicated.
Cohen later admitted that the amount of wine he drank for the segment led to him getting so drunk that he passed out in the club’s bathroom. When everyone came in to check on him, his producer was worried that he would wake up as Sacha Baron Cohen and get them all in trouble.
Cohen, of course, woke up as Borat and carried on like nothing had happened. Great success.