Report: Sacha Baron Cohen Uninvited from Oscars
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Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — Sacha Baron Cohen will not be attending the Oscars as his character from The Dictator — or as himself — according to Deadline.com.
The website claims the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has pulled Cohen’s tickets for Sunday’s ceremony following a report that he intended to show up as the title character in his new comedy.
A source says, “Unless they’re assured that nothing entertaining is going to happen on the red carpet, the Academy is not admitting Sacha Baron Cohen to the show.”
An Academy spokesperson denies to The Hollywood Reporter that Cohen has been banned from the Oscars, but adds, “We’re just waiting to hear what he’s going to do.” The trade magazine says the Academy does not want Cohen to walk the red carpet as his Dictator character.
The Hollywood Reporter said Tuesday that Cohen, who appears in the Oscar-nominated movie Hugo, informed the film’s studio of his plan, but not the producers of the Oscars telecast.
The Dictator, starring Cohen as a Saddam Hussein-esque ruler, opens in May.
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