Edmonton Journal (Alberta)
March 17, 2007 Saturday
Final Edition
‘You can get naked and get famous’: Persistence pays off, Borat
sidekick tells students
Elizabeth Withey, The Edmonton Journal
EDMONTON – It bothers actor Ken Davitian that no one cares about his
chin.
Davitian, 53, became infamous last year after he wrestled naked with
Sacha Baron Cohen in the comedy film sensation Borat: Cultural
Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.
But, as Davitian told a crowd of NAIT students and staff at a
motivational talk Friday, all people want to know is whether those
were "studio testicles" resting on Baron Cohen’s chin in the movie.
They weren’t.
"I took a lot of showers," Davitian said in a mock incensed tone.
"And no one really cares where my chin was."
"Where was your chin?" the moderator, radio DJ Fearless Fred Kennedy,
asked.
"In his belly button," Davitian told the chuckling audience.
No surprise. At five feet, five inches and 285 pounds, the
California-born Davitian is a stumpy, lumpy fellow compared with
beanpole Baron Cohen. But Davitian’s comic waddle, self-deprecating
charm and on-demand Armenian accent all helped him land the part of
Azamat Bagatov, the make-believe Kazakhstani producer who accompanies
reporter Borat Sagdiyev (Baron Cohen) to America.
Davitian said it was inspiring and educational to work alongside the
creator of Da Ali G Show, a satirical TV program in which Baron Cohen
conducts interviews with unsuspecting people as one of three
characters (among them Borat). But Davitian said there was some
obvious discomfort in the naked fight sequence, in which he and Borat
tussle on a hotel bed, then chase around the hotel in the buck,
shocking people in an elevator and a ballroom.
"There was a lot of tension there," Davitian said, adding he has lost
20 pounds since he saw his body jiggle on the big screen.
Davitian’s off-colour anecdotes and inside stories tickled a gym full
of Borat fans.
"He’s such a phenomenal actor," Revae Osinchuk, 20, said. "I thought
he was from Kazakhstan. How was I supposed to know?"
NAIT instructor Doug Holliday said Davitian’s bare buttocks in the
movie brought him to tears. "It was hilarious and disgusting," the
41-year-old said.
Joanne James, 48, applauded Davitian for being so daring. "I wish I
had a set like that," she said, cupping her hands in front of her
chest.
Relatively unknown before his Azamat role, Davitian is now busy with
acting gigs including one in Get Smart with Steve Carell, to be
released in 2008.
His message? Stardom is possible at any age. "Persistence,
persistence, persistence," he said. "Don’t stop until you drop. It
can happen when you’re old and grey. You can get naked, and get
famous."