Sacha Baron Cohen has revealed that he feared for his life while filming Borat 2 at a pro-gun rally. The famed comedian has made a career out of risking life and limb for the sake of laughs, but he seems to have genuinely upped the ante while filming his latest project.

Known for his high profile pranks and outlandish characters such as Ali G, Borat, and Bruno, Cohen’s comedy has also been weaponized at times, exposing hypocrisy and intolerance in public figures, celebrities, and politicians. But when he made his big-screen debut as Borat with 2006’s Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, the world finally had a chance to see just how far Cohen was willing to go for laughs. Despite being a massive hit for the comedian, the film also seemed to be a magnet for trouble. Throughout the filming of the controversial comedy, police were reportedly called no fewer than ninety-two times. Then, after the film had hit theatres and registered the degree of popularity that it did, lawsuits from those featured in the quasi-documentary began to crop up everywhere. None of this, however, has ever dissuaded Cohen from upping the ante.

Related: Everything We Know About Borat 2

In a new op-ed for Time, Cohen reveals about some of the times he genuinely felt his life was at risk throughout his career. At one point in particular during the article, Cohen said that while filming his upcoming Borat sequel, Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm, he turned up at a pro-gun rally in Washington State as a country music singer only to have the crowd turn on him eventually. Though Cohen was wearing a bulletproof vest beneath his costume, he stated that it felt “inadequate” because many in the angry crowd were carrying semi-automatic weapons:

While filming my latest Borat film, I showed up as a right-wing singer at a gun-rights rally in Washington State. When organizers finally stormed the stage, I rushed to a nearby get-away vehicle. An angry crowd blocked our way and started pounding on the vehicle with their fists. Under my overalls, I was wearing a bulletproof vest, but it felt inadequate with some people outside toting semiautomatic weapons. When someone ripped open the door to drag me out, I used my entire body weight to pull the door back shut until our vehicle maneuvered free.

Sasha Baron Cohen Borat 2

The incident which Cohen is speaking of occurred earlier this past summer. Though video of this exact moment isn’t available, there is plenty of footage of the sing-along he encouraged while on stage. Fortunately for Cohen, he attended the event with plenty of personal security. Still, it does sound as though there were at least several moments once he was discovered to be pranking the rally in which he was in physical danger. But of course, this is the sort of thing that Cohen makes his living from, and the inherent risk in exposing certain people as fools will always contain a strong element of danger. Aside from often being hilarious, this risk is a big reason why so many people can’t get enough of Cohen’s antics.

Some argue that Cohen’s comedy is offensive, but of course, the critical point to consider here is that there’s a big difference between utilizing irony to expose people and merely making tasteless jokes. Cohen’s comedy is clearly opposed to intolerance, as is Cohen himself. Unfortunately, taking a stand against those who are intolerant can often be a dangerous undertaking – something that Borat 2 is sure to prove in a big way.

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Source: Time

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