Sacha Baron Cohen is praising the “Ironheart” production team for a sensitive gesture before he took on the MCU role of Mephisto. The 3x Oscar nominee recently recalled that the producers and directors wanted to make sure he was “not insulted” as a Jewish actor being asked to portray the demon character often likened to the devil.
Sacha Baron Cohen as Mephisto in ‘Ironheart’ (Credits: Disney+)
An Empathetic Offer Meeting
“It was a wonderful meeting when I was offered it,” Cohen explained during a Happy Sad Confused live podcast taping. “It was primarily, I think, an almost entirely Black producing and directing team. And they said, ‘We want to offer you Mephisto, but we are aware of the negative association of Jews historically with the devil, and we want to make sure that you’re not insulted by us offering this.'”
He called it “such an amazingly considerate, empathetic thing to say” — and accepted. “And I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m good.'”
Cohen’s Secret MCU Role
Mephisto has long been one of the most rumored characters in the MCU, and Cohen’s appearance in the Disney+ series “Ironheart” was among its worst-kept surprises. The actor’s praise for how the offer was handled is a small behind-the-scenes window into how Marvel’s teams are thinking about representation and sensitivity in casting — even for a literal demon.
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Source: Deadline — read the full story there.