Sacha Baron Cohen has praised the team behind Marvel’s Ironheart for recognising the history of antisemitic stereotypes linking Jews to the devil before offering him the role of a demonic villain.
The actor, who is Jewish, recalled how the producers and directors of the Disney+ series approached him about playing Mephisto, a supernatural character often compared to Satan, and explicitly acknowledged the potential sensitivity of casting a Jewish performer in the part.
Sacha Baron Cohen as Mephisto in Disney+'s 'Ironheart'[Missing Credit]
Speaking during a live recording of the Happy Sad Confused podcast at New York’s 92nd Street Y, Baron-Cohen said the conversation left him feeling understood by the filmmakers on the project, whose creative team was predominantly black.
“It was a wonderful meeting when I was offered it,” he said.
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