Queen drummer and founding member Roger Taylor reignited the controversy surrounding Sacha Baron Cohen’s vision of Freddie Mercury in an interview on Wednesday, ruthlessly trashing the actor.
“I think he would have been utter sh–. Sacha is pushy, if nothing else,” Taylor told Classic Rock magazine. “He’s also six inches too tall. But I watched his last five films and came to the conclusion he’s not a very good actor. I might be wrong there. I thought he was an utterly brilliant subversive comedian, that’s what he’s great at. Anyway, I think Rami did a brilliant job in an almost impossible role.”
Taylor’s statements are wildly ignorant. Cohen is famous for his comedic satire performances. However, the actor is also well regarded for his dramatic roles, including performances in “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” “Les Misérables,” and “Hugo.” Cohen was even nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his turn in “The Trial of the Chicago 7.”
Taylor’s opinion on the matter seems to be one of sour grapes. The drummer was likely embarrassed when Cohen revealed that the band wanted the Queen biopic to focus more on the group than the leading front man, with Freddie Mercury’s death happening halfway through the film.
“Listen, not one person is going to see a movie where the lead character dies from AIDS and then you carry on to see the band,” Baron Cohen said at the time.
