14 DAY TRIAL // In July, word got out that actor Sacha Baron Cohen had dropped out of a planned Freddie Mercury biopic, allegedly because he could not see eye to eye with Queen guitarist Brian May, who has the final word on the direction of the movie.
May has finally explained why Cohen is no longer on board the project and, contrary to reports, it had nothing to do with creative differences.
At the time Cohen left the biopic, several media outlets had reported that the decision had been prompted by Cohen’s desire to focus on some of the most scandalous aspects of Mercury’s life, while May wanted a more PG-type of film.
The guitarist says for Rolling Stone that the real reason for the exit was Cohen’s persona, which would overshadow the film. To put it simply, he has made a reputation for himself for a certain type of projects and May considers viewers of the film won’t be able to see past it.
“What led us to that conclusion was the last three movies that he’s made – The Dictator, Les Miserables and Hugo – in which he makes outstanding performances, but they’re very much Sacha Baron Cohen performances,” May says.
“And we thought there has to be no distraction in the Freddie movie. You have to really suspend that disbelief – the man who plays Freddie, you have to really believe is Freddie. And we didn’t think that could really happen with Sacha,” he adds.
Things might not have worked out as planned, but the guitarist insists there’s no hard feelings on either side, saying, “It’s a shame that there were these sensationalist stories about him walking out. None of that was true, because we owe Sacha a lot.”
As May puts it, Cohen was very involved in the project from day 1, and did his best to get it off the ground.
Word online now has it that May is considering Ben Whishaw for the role. Whishaw’s most notable appearances include the lead in “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer” and, most recently, a supporting role in “Skyfall,” as Q.