Film & TV1 min(s) read
Published 18:23 05 Jan 2021 GMT
Borat 2 star Maria Bakalova has revealed that she's kept in touch with kind babysitter Jeanise Jones since filming on the sequel wrapped.
The 24-year-old Bulgarian actress received critical acclaim for her performance as Tutar, the onscreen teenage daughter of Sacha Baron Cohen's character Borat, in the recently-released mockumentary sequel.
However, even Bakalova was overshadowed by 62-year-old childminder Jones, who mistakenly believed that she was appearing in a real-life documentary and not a satirical comedy.
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Jones was shocked by the fictional Khazakstani diplomat's comically-exaggerated neglect of his child and casual chauvinism, and impressed viewers of the film by giving the sheltered and uneducated Tutar some sincere life advice.
She also confronted the character of Borat and delivered a stern rebuke of his poor parenting skills and sexist attitudes.
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In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, Bakalova stated that she still has a friendly relationship with Jones, stating:
"Jeanise is a true angel. I will probably always think of her as my godmother, a real hero and life coach. She just wanted to help this girl become a strong woman.
"We had a real human connection from the very first day we met."
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Bakalova added that she spoke with Jones on Thanksgiving this year, which was her first-ever in the United States. Bakalova stated:
"I was so happy to talk to her that I started to cry. When we were shooting, it was very hard for me, because I wanted to tell her not to worry about me.
"She is a really good example of how important it is to be a good person and care about others."
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Per an interview with Variety, Jones stated that the production got in touch with her to appear in the film via her church group and that she was paid a mere $3,600 for her performance.
Jones stated: "I can’t say it was fair because they knew it was going to be a movie, and I didn’t. I just thought I was doing a documentary about how we do things in America, but I blame myself for not reading when I signed those papers."
Jones lost her job due to COVID-19 restrictions, and Sacha Baron Cohen later donated $100,000 to her GoFundMe.
