Sacha Baron Cohen

My comedy is a form of social commentary, a way to expose the absurdities of society.

I'm not interested in making safe comedy. I want to make comedy that makes people uncomfortable.

The more extreme the character, the more honest people are with them.

I think it's important to laugh at ourselves, even at our darkest moments.

My characters are not meant to be role models. They're meant to be cautionary tales.

I'm not afraid to be controversial if it means I can spark a conversation.

I think the best comedy is often the most uncomfortable comedy.

I use humor to expose the darkness in humanity.

I'm not trying to be a moral arbiter. I'm just trying to hold a mirror up to society.

The more ridiculous the premise, the more truthful the reactions.

I'm a satirist, not a journalist. My job is to provoke, not to report.

I think people are too easily offended these days. We need to lighten up.

My characters are a reflection of the prejudices and absurdities that exist in the world.

I used to do stand-up, and I'd get the occasional laugh, but I'd never get that full-on, belly-aching laughter that Borat got. It's like a different kind of laugh. It's a laugh of shock, a laugh of discomfort, a laugh of 'I can't believe he just said that.'

I'm not trying to be offensive. I'm trying to be funny. And sometimes, to be funny, you have to be offensive.

The problem with comedy is that it's subjective. What one person finds hilarious, another person finds offensive. And that's the tightrope I walk.

I'm not interested in making people laugh at me. I'm interested in making people laugh at themselves, or at society.

My characters are often a way for me to explore the prejudices and absurdities of the world.

I think the best way to expose bigotry is to let bigots expose themselves.

If you can make people laugh, you can make them think.