Borat Subsequent Moviefilm actress, Maria Bakalova, wrote her lawyer's phone number on her leg before entering the White House in a deleted scene from the film. Fourteen years after the original film, Sacha Baron Cohen returned as his infamous character, the Kazakh journalist, Borat Sagdiyev. Joining him this time around is Bakalova as his daughter, Tutar, and Borat brings her to the United States as a gift for Vice President Mike Pence.
Bakalova, who is nominated for an Oscar for her performance, is subjected to some pretty insane pranks in the film, the crowning jewel of which comes as the film's climax. Posing as a journalist, Tutar convinces former New York City mayor, Rudy Giuliani, to give an interview to her when things take a turn and Giuliani appears to be making sexual advances toward Bakalova. During this, Cohen and the crew were lying in wait in case anything took a turn, but one deleted scene from the film saw Bakalova completely on her own.
The actress tells The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that, at one point, she entered the White House by herself in an attempt to get close to Donald Trump. The scene in question sees her run into Donald Trump, Jr. and she appears to be in close proximity to the former president. Bakalova tells Colbert that before entering the White House she wrote her lawyer's number on her leg just in case she was arrested. The actress elaborated, saying she entered the building without a phone or anything else except her passport. Read what Bakalova said about the situation below:
I was freaking out. I was shaking, I was scared. I had a number of a lawyer written on my leg. I was without my phone, without anything. If I make it [out of here] I’m going to be so grateful to the universe and to Sacha [Baron Cohen] and the whole team.
It's no secret that both Cohen and Bakalova put themselves in precarious positions to pull off some of the insane stunts in Borat 2. Entering the White House may be one of the more dangerous ones, especially for Bakalova, who was new to this type of guerilla filmmaking when she was cast. Cohen, at one point, even put his own life in danger, inciting an angry crowd at a pro-gun rally after making fun of them. Still, it's Bakalova and her character, Tutar, who ultimately steal the show.
From Tutar's babysitting adventure to her rise as a fringe right-wing reporter, Bakalova gave Cohen a run for his money in his own film. Her nomination for Best Supporting Actress is certainly deserved and it's quite possible she could leave the ceremony on April 25 with her first trophy. The actress already scored one from the Critic's Choice Awards for her performance, and her indelible mark on Borat Subsequent Moviefilm has made her one of the most exciting up-and-coming actresses working today.