Sacha Baron Cohen has some strange tips…

It’s fair to say that if there’s anything we can thank the latest Borat film for, it’s that it introduced breakout star Maria Bakalova to the world. Now, she’s receiving proper buzz for her portrayal of Borat’s daughter Irina Nowak, even getting legit Oscar consideration for her larger than life performance.

Opening up to the New York Times,  the Bulgarian actress opened up on getting attached to the project after she heard of “an open call for the lead role in a Hollywood movie” to which she replied “that’s not possible. We are Bulgarians. Nobody can actually see us in lead roles.” Well, she’s definitely breaking the mould, and no doubt gonna be in very high demand now that the film is out there in the world.

She also talked about her relationship with star Sacha Baron Cohen, stating “He’s my nonbiological father and he will be like that forever.” It seems Bakalova learnt a thing or two on set from Sacha as well, the Bulgarian actress sharing a tip Cohen gave her for not breaking character.

Opening up on the comedic genius’ advice, Bakalova said “When Sacha starts doing his thing, and you’re right next to him, he has this super serious face. I have to act like it’s the most normal thing ever. But he’s so funny. There were moments when the scene was extremely funny and you just can’t stop laughing. It’s bad, because people were able to realize that it’s a joke. He taught me a trick to cross my fingers, to put pressure on my fingers, to stop laughing.”

Pretty random, I totally wouldn’t be able to see this working but if it works for Cohen and Bakalova, it must be pretty legit. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is out now, check the full trailer below.