Look for this Macon landmark to make a ‘risqué’ appearance in ‘Borat’ sequel

The trailer for Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Borat” sequel features a well-known Macon landmark.

Middle Georgians dressed in formal attire attend a cotillion-style ball at the Hay House a little over a minute into the trailer.

The film, set to release on Oct. 23, is the sequel to Cohen’s 2006 hit, which centers around the fictional Kazakh journalist Borat. Borat is portrayed by Cohen, a British comedian and actor.

Will Davis, the publisher for the Monroe County Reporter, wrote in a story published on the Reporter’s website that he was in attendance.

“The company would pay fathers and daughters $50 apiece, and all we had to do was dress up, dance a little and enjoy free cuisine and drinks,” Davis wrote. “Word spread around the Hay House that the storyline was that a young girl from the country of Georgia had dreamed of making her debut in the American South.”

Cohen attended the event in a disguise, Hay House Operations Manager Clint Sims told 13WMAZ. He added that the Hay House did not approve the filming of this movie.

“The filming was a rental done under false pretenses. It was not discussed or approved by the Macon Film Commission,” Sims said in an interview with 13WMAZ. “What was discussed with the production company during the initial rental is not what happened or transpired on site.”

Sims said that the actors began behaving inappropriately and Hay House management shut the filming down. Davis added that Cohen had odd interactions with many other fathers and daughters as the cameras rolled, reporting that Cohen was trying to ask some of the fathers a “price” for their daughters.

Once the filming was shut down, the production crew left the Hay House quickly; Sims and the management team have been unable to get in touch with them.

“From what we saw of it when we stopped the filming, it had gotten pretty risqué,” Sims said.

He added that they want “nothing to do” with Cohen’s latest film but it appears that the scenes shot at the Hay House will be in the movie when it is released.