Sacha Baron Cohen Slammed as ‘Arse’ as Freddie Mercury Film Feud Erupts
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Sacha Baron Cohen recently explained why he left a Freddie Mercury biopic in which he was set to star as the late Queen singer. But now, Queen lead guitarist Brian May is sharing the band’s side of the story.
In March, Cohen told Howard Stern that he left the biopic, which he had been attached to since 2010, because the band wanted a PG-rated story that showed how Queen pulled together after Mercury’s death. Cohen, however, wanted to focus on Mercury’s “wild” life in a darker story.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, May, who was working on the biopic with Cohen, disputed those claims and slammed the actor for his behavior.
“Sacha became an arse,” he said. “We had some nice times with Sacha kicking around ideas, but he went off and told untruths about what happened.”
May added that the band had no intention in cleaning up the story: “Why would he go away and say that we didn’t want to make a gritty film?”
“Are we the kind of people who have ever ducked from the truth?” he went on. “I don’t think so.”
May also said that the band decided Cohen wasn’t right for the role “for very good reasons, which will become apparent if you watch what he’s done recently.”
The biopic is continuing with the support of May and Roger Taylor. It’s still looking for the actor to play Mercury, but May said they already have a candidate they’re eying: Ben Whishaw.
“He’s fabulous,” May said, “a real actor.”
—Variety
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
