“The Brothers Grimsby,” the latest from comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, is a comedy-action movie about a pair of orphaned twins who get separated at a young age. Sebastian (Mark Strong), the younger brother, becomes the top agent for British Intelligence while Nobby (Baron Cohen), is a soccer hooligan. Nobby searches his whole life for his brother and finds him while he is trying to prevent an assassination attempt. When Nobby causes his brother’s mission to go awry, the brothers must work together to save the day.
Baron Cohen is famous for the absurd and hilarious characters that he creates, and his role in “The Brothers Grimsby” proves no different. At first, the idea was brought to Baron Cohen by Phil Johnston, writer of “Wreck-It Ralph,” who wanted to make a movie about James Bond’s brother. Baron Cohen, however, took this idea and made it his own.
“My immediate question was who would be the best guy to act as a foil to a James Bond-type that could create havoc for him,” Baron Cohen said in an interview with The Daily Free Press. “[Nobby] is full of laughter, has real relationships, cannot stop talking and is from a lower strata of society.”
Baron Cohen is notorious for really getting into his roles, whether that be participating in gay sex for his title character in “Brüno” or wrestling naked with a fat, sweaty man in “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.”
“[I] went up to the north of England to research and hung out with a lot of real life Nobbys,” Baron Cohen said about his preparation for the role. “Part of the process is I go undercover in order to get into the character. I set up a bunch of interviews with real people, and I appear as Nobby in order to workshop the character.”
Although Cohen is a comedian, he said he wanted “The Brothers Grimsby” to be an authentic action movie.
“[We] had about $150 million less than the average action movie,” he said. “We knew that we couldn’t beat Bond in terms of their magnificent actions scenes … so the first thing we did was create a new style of action.”
This new style resulted in extremely original and engaging point-of-view shooting that encompassed the action sequences throughout the film. A lot of the inspiration for this style came from video games.
“A lot of the stunts you play in an action-shooter game we played for real life … So it’s like a video game, but the crazy thing is that someone is actually doing it,” he said.
The movie features a large cast with many big name actors on it, including Baron Cohen’s wife, Isla Fisher.
“We’re still married … which is more than I can say for most people working together,” Baron Cohen joked.
Baron Cohen also praised Strong, his co-star, as one of the greatest actors of his generation. Strong brought something very necessary and tangible into the film, Baron Cohen said.
“[Strong] totally grounded the movie by being so real,” Baron Cohen said. “I can do the most outlandish things, yet you believe the scene is actually going on.”
Baron Cohen made a name for himself through vulgar, often inappropriate humor and the absurd situations he puts his characters through. Many times, he ran the risk of being arrested or even killed during filming to get a joke. He said the “tension and adrenaline” he receives from putting himself in these situations keeps him motivated, and he is never afraid to push the envelope.
“[I’m] always careful to make sure that what we’re doing is not consolidating any racial, gender or sexual stereotypes,” he said. “I am a comedian, not a politician … so I don’t have to be ethical because I’m not enforcing my movies … But I do feel a sense of responsibility to do something that isn’t morally bankrupt.”
In light of the acting situations he finds himself in, Baron Cohen said he was appreciative of his parents.
“There’s a certain amount of embarrassment, but they’re also quite proud of me,” he said. “I think to have a certain amount of artistic freedom, it’s useful to have very supportive parents. They’ve always had my back.”
A problem he has faced in the past is dealing with the Motion Picture Association of America because of the nature of his movies. “The Brothers Grimsby” was able to get an R-rating, though some argue that it really deserves an NC-17 rating. But Baron Cohen said the final product is close to what he wanted his audiences to see.
“The Brothers Grimsby” successfully features some hilariously absurd scenes but still maintains a heartwarming story that can be appreciated by many, Baron Cohen said.
“Ultimately, the main aim of the movie is to make people laugh hysterically,” Baron Cohen said. “But underlying it, it would be great if they can take something out of the movie other than just some jokes.”
“The Brothers Grimsby” opened Friday in theaters nationwide.
