‘Borat 2’ Breakout Star Maria Bakalova Shared The Tip Sacha Baron Cohen Gave Her To Not Break Character

This time last month, no one knew if the actress playing Borat’s daughter in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm was named Maria Bakalova or Irina Nowak. Now, Maria Bakalova (that’s the real one) is getting legitimate Oscar consideration. There’s a lot to like in the Borat sequel, but her performance is one thing to love. Bakalova, who was raised in Bulgaria, got involved with the project after her friend told her about “an open call for the lead role in a Hollywood movie. And I was like, that’s not possible. We are Bulgarians. Nobody can actually see us in lead roles,” she told the New York Times. Bakalova was convinced that she was being set up for a “human trafficking situation,” but nope, it turns out she was auditioning for the co-lead of a major (and undercover) Hollywood movie.

Bakalova and star Sacha Baron Cohen instantly clicked (“He’s my nonbiological father and he will be like that forever”) and he taught her a trick for not breaking character, an important skill for when you’re talking to real people about swallowing babies:

“When Sacha starts doing his thing, and you’re right next to him, he has this super serious face. I have to act like it’s the most normal thing ever. But he’s so funny. There were moments when the scene was extremely funny and you just can’t stop laughing. It’s bad, because people were able to realize that it’s a joke. He taught me a trick to cross my fingers, to put pressure on my fingers, to stop laughing.”

Rudy Giuliani was probably crossing his fingers, too: “Please don’t let Borat 2 come out, please don’t let Borat 2 come out, please don’t let Borat 2 come out.” Sorry, Rudy!