SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Sacha Baron Cohen, also known as "Borat," says making his hit movie in the United States was "exhausting."
Cohen talked to the Los Angeles Times in his first newspaper interview since the film's release.
Cohen, 35, recalled his unconventional way of keeping in character for Borat after the film's release, dressing in the full Borat costume for months.
"It was exhausting," he said. "I had to be that way all day and all night, because even if the tiniest detail had gone awry, it could've made them suspicious. I mean, even if I went to the bathroom, I had to make sure I went to the bathroom as Borat."
Cohen told the Times that during the filming of "Borat" he never washed his suit or wore deodorant.
"The smell is an added thing for people to believe that I'm from a country where hygiene wasn't a necessity," he explained.
The Times reported Cohen is admired by many for pulling off such an outlandish character in an age when most comics feel a strong need to watch what they say. The film "Borat" stirred controversy with Cohen's depiction of U.S. culture.
The movie's full title is "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan."
