Sacha Baron Cohen donates $ 193K to the church of a woman who appeared unknowingly in Borat

Actor Sacha Baron Cohen, who stars in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, donated $ 193,000 to the church of a woman who he believed was participating in a documentary, but was instead appearing in the mock comedy film.

Jeanise Jones, 62, thought she had been recruited by her place of worship, Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church, in Oklahoma City, to mentor a teenage girl named “Tutar” who came to the United States with her father. of a developing nation. But Jones didn’t find out until the movie was released on Amazon Prime last week that “Tutar” was an actress and that the man, whom she believed to be the girl’s father, was actually Cohen.

Derrick Scobey, the church’s senior pastor, said Cohen made the donation. Scobey added that he and other church members were also unaware of the film.

Scobey said she wasn’t surprised by the donation, just the amount, noting that the money had been earmarked for community use, The Oklahoman reported. Scobey added that Cohen knew the church is a community center where people come together for hope and spiritual help.

A representative for Cohen declined to comment when contacted by The Associated Press.

The film follows Borat Sagdiyev, played by Cohen, as he returns to the United States from Kazakhstan, with his daughter, played by Maria Bakalova, to offer a “bribe” to American leaders. It is a sequel to Borat, which was released in 2006.

After the debut of the latest film, many on Twitter described Jones’ character as the movie’s hero, moral compass, and shooting star. But she’s just relieved that “Tutar” has never had a problem.

Jones has not seen the film, but said one of the film’s producers called her to see how she was doing after it was released. Cohen approached her, said Jones, who noted the call was “enlightening.”

Scobey opened a GoFundMe account for Jones, saying she believed the scenario was real and that she lost her job as a counseling service receptionist due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Jones said he was surprised to learn that $ 193,000 had already been donated.

“It’s amazing. I would never expect anything like this.” “It’s driving me crazy.”

The film also features a scene with Rudy Giuliani, one of President Donald Trump’s lawyers, in a compromising position in a hotel room with a young woman acting as a journalist. Trump previously told reporters aboard Air Force One that he did not know what happened to Giuliani.

– AP