Brian May has thrown some serious shade at Sacha Baron Cohen for pulling out of the Queen biopic, calling him an ‘arse’.
Cohen was supposed to be playing Freddie Mercury in the eagerly anticipated movie, detailing the formation of the legendary band.
However he pulled out over creative differences, claiming that he wanted to do a ‘warts and all’ portrayal while the surviving band members were keen to preserve their own legacy, the Daily Mail reports.
The comedy actor then appeared on American radio host Howard Stern’s show and criticised the band’s vision for the movie, suggesting that Brian, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon wanted the biopic to be about them as a band instead of the tragic life of Freddie, who died in 1991.
He said:
Listen, not one person is going to see a movie where the lead character dies from AIDS and then you see the band carry on…
Now though May’s come back at Cohen hard, insulting not just his coice to leave the film but also his recent work.
May told Event magazine:
Sacha became an arse. We had some nice times with Sacha kicking around ideas but he went off and told untruths about what happened. Why would he go away and say that we didn’t want to make a gritty film?
We decided he wasn’t right for the role for very good reasons, which will become apparent if you watch what he’s done recently,’ the Queen star said. ‘It’s obvious that it wasn’t going to work, him playing Freddie. It wouldn’t suspend your disbelief. We’re hoping Ben Whishaw will do it. He’s fabulous – a real actor.
We’re guessing that’s a Grimsby dig…
More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.