Sacha in Oscars ban

Borat star warned that he will not be welcome at the event...

12:05 23 February 2012

Sacha Baron Cohen has been banned from attending this weekend's Oscars, after it was revealed he planned to attend the event in character.

According to reports, the comedian was intending to walk the red carpet as General Aladeen, a character from his new film The Dictator.

The 40-year-old has now apparently had his tickets to the 48th Academy Awards recalled, after he refused to give assurances that he would not hijack the event with a stunt.

A source told Deadline.com:

"Unless they're assured that nothing entertaining is going to happen on the Red Carpet, the Academy is not admitting Sacha Baron Cohen to the show."

A spokesperson for the Academy also told the website:

"We would hope that every studio knows that this is a bad idea. The Red Carpet is not about stunting."

It wouldn't be the first time that Baron Cohen has attended an awards ceremony in character.

The actor attending the 2005 MTV Europe Music Awards dressed as Borat, and in 2009 he appeared as the MTV Movie Awards as flamboyant Austrian fashion reporter, Bruno.

The Dictator has been billed as his most controversial work to date, and tells the story of a Saddam Hussein-type character who has to rebuild his life after he is secretly replaced by a lookalike.

The film is set for release in May 2012.