Sacha Baron Cohen and Ben Stiller's drop Oscars Avatar skit

Sacha Baron Cohen reportedly axed from Oscars performance list over Avatar skit with Ben Stiller

Tweet

Print Share

 

Also In The News

Fabio Capello denies half-time anger drove England to win
By Darren Estwick.

• Allan McGregor fiancée charged with wasting police time
• James Haskell club v country row refusing to die down
• Jerry Flannery ban upheld by Six Nations appeal committee

 

Thursday, 04, Mar 2010 04:40

By Sarah Garrod

Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen and Ben Stiller have had to axe plans to perform an Avatar skit at the Oscars this weekend, reports claim.

According to the New York magazine Oscar bosses were concerned the skit could offend Avatar director James Cameron and have therefore removed the Borat actor from the performance list.

The New York magazine report says: "Sources suggest that the Brüno star was to have posed as a blue-skinned female Na'vi from Avatar, while Stiller translated her speech. The skit was to end with the Na'vi claiming to be pregnant with the love child of director James Cameron."

The magazine's website also quoted Baron Cohen's agent Matt Labov saying: "I hate to use the term, because it's so ubiquitous, but there were 'creative differences'. Nothing acrimonious, but both sides felt that since they couldn't agree, [Cohen] might as well remain in London."

Sacha Cohen is not the first person to be removed from the invitation list for this year's Oscars after it was announced on Wednesday that one of producers who worked on The Hurt Locker has been banned after emailing voters to gain support for his film.