| Brüno | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | Paramount Comedy Channel, Da Ali G Show |
| Last appearance | Brüno |
| Created by | Sacha Baron Cohen |
| Portrayed by | Sacha Baron Cohen |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Children | OJ (Adopted son) |
| Nationality | Austrian |
Brüno Gehard (pronounced "broo-noe gay-hard"), sometimes written as Bruno and Brueno, is a fictional character portrayed by English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. The character, a flamboyantly gay Austrian fashion reporter, first appeared during short sketches on The Paramount Comedy Channel in 1998, before reappearing on Da Ali G Show with his partner Adrian Chan. Following the success of Ali G Indahouse and Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, Universal Studios gained rights to make and release a feature film.[1]
Cohen's character Brüno, alongside his Ali G and Borat characters, has been retired.[2][3]
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In May 2009, Brüno appeared at the MTV Movie Awards dressed as an angel with wings strapped to his buttocks hanging from the ceiling. As part of a prank, after an alleged equipment malfunction, he was lowered onto rapper Eminem who was seated directly beneath him. Brüno landed in Eminem's lap with his exposed rear end in Eminem's face. Members of D12, including Swifty, Kuniva, and Bizarre all helped to remove Brüno after Eminem said "Yo, get this motherfucker off me, man!" Eminem and the rest of the D12 members left the Awards, with Jesski shouting "Is the Real Slim Shady going to stand up?" Eminem appeared surprised, and slightly angry about the prank the whole time, but told reporters how he "laughed uncontrollably for about three hours" in his hotel afterward.[4] Eminem revealed that the stunt had been planned and rehearsed beforehand; Cohen had discussed the idea with Eminem, who is a fan of Cohen's work and agreed to do the stunt.[5]
Some LGBT groups have criticized the character as perpetuating LGBT stereotypes while simultaneously enlightening institutionalized homophobia issues.[6] "Sacha Baron Cohen's well-meaning attempt at satire is problematic in many places and outright offensive in others," Rashad Robinson, senior director of media programmes for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) told the New York Times.[7] The character was not well-received by The Guardian, who described Brüno as, "a product of Sacha Baron Cohen's bourgeois sexual neuroses."[8]
Baron Cohen appeared as Brüno on the Late Show with David Letterman,[6][9] where he made reference to Ayman Abu Aita whom Brüno comically interviewed in the movie as a terrorist. Ayman Abu Aita served in the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an organization responsible for numerous suicide bombings [10] from 2000 to 2003 and served two years in prison on charges relating to shootings against Israeli soldiers. [11] However Abu Aita claims he is no longer active in the group and has been misrepresented in the film. Aita has said he plans to sue, saying that he was misled and that he did not sign release forms for the footage of him which appeared in the film. There were police reports that Aita hired men to stand around the area surrounding Cohen's residence, in an attempt to intimidate Cohen.[12] Baron Cohen has increased his security detail after World Net Daily claimed to receive a statement from Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade threatening his life following the premiere of the film.[13]
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