When Binghamton University student David Corcoran found himself counseling a broken-hearted faux Kazakh journalist over Pamela Anderson’s act of fellatio, he didn’t realize that in little more than a year, he would be a local celebrity.
But when “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” was released in theaters, Corcoran’s brief — though notable — part drew attention from his friends, family and the media.
Corcoran transferred from the University of South Carolina to BU this year for academic reasons, but told Pipe Dream in an exclusive interview that he hasn’t been recognized by many on campus: “Although it’s pretty good that I’m out of the fire pit,” he added.
His two former Chi Psi fraternity brothers, who were filmed engaging in racist and sexist tirades, filed a lawsuit against (among others) the film’s distributor, 20th Century Fox; Corcoran has decided not to seek legal action.
“I’ve made my bed,” he said. “So I have to lie in it.”
Despite exclaiming, “I’d do it,” in “Borat,” senior political science major David Corcoran said he would not actually let a mouse eat cheese out of his penis — a claim he made in the film.
In the movie, Corcoran calls women “hoes” and “bitches,” and tells Borat that he has no respect for them. This, he said in the interview, is not his real outlook, adding that his friends and family are aware that his behavior was influenced by his state of inebriation.
According to Corcoran, members of the film’s crew brought him and several of his brothers from the fraternity Chi Psi out to a bar and provided them with an array of free drinks. Eventually, Corcoran and the other two (one of whom has been identified by the Daily Gamecock, USC’s student newspaper, as recent graduate Justin Seay) were selected to participate in the film.
The three were paid $200 and were then ushered onto an RV, Corcoran says, where they were provided with even more alcohol. Corcoran added that, at the time, the receipt of said money and free beverages was akin to “absolute heaven.”
What happened next has been seen by millions of people on the silver screen, become the fodder for a lawsuit, which Corcoran describes as “not something I agree with,” and drawn the ire of Chi Psi’s national leadership and the USC community.
According to the lawsuit, which was obtained by the celebrity news Web site TMZ.com, Seay, who was filmed lamenting that “minorities have more power,” feels the film shows the brothers as “being insensitive to minorities even though they are not.”
20th Century Fox could not be reached for comment on the lawsuit.
Corcoran, who said he did not have to worry about such a depiction, as he did not take part in any of the racial banter, felt as though the plaintiffs may just be attempting to capitalize on their embarrassing moment. While the lawsuit demands “a retraction” of the scene by 20th Century Fox, Corcoran said he thinks the litigation is not “just about getting the scene cut.”
While Seay and the other RV passenger, who is referred to in the lawsuit as “John Doe 2” and “Anthony” in the movie, have combined forces for their litigation, according to Brad Beskin, the director of operations for the Chi Psi Fraternity, they probably won’t be receiving any support from their brotherhood any time soon. Beskin noted that he has posted a letter of condemnation on Chi Psi’s Web site regarding remarks made in the movie.
“John Doe 2” is no longer a member of Chi Psi.
In an earlier interview with For Him Magazine, Corcoran noted that when he realized who Borat really was, his first consideration was, “What if Mom finds out?” However, Corcoran admitted he warned his mother prior to the film’s release, and even though “at first [she] was mad,” she later inquired as to whether or not he was interested in acting lessons.
Corcoran said he has “come to terms” with his role in the movie.
Corcoran, who at one point consoles Borat (who weeps when he realizes Pamela Anderson is not a virgin), has likewise received support from his friends and family. He said he has been told that he gave the racially charged and often uncomfortable scene a “light-hearted edge.”
Although Seay and “Anthony” are apparently not big fans of “Borat,” Corcoran described his (non-Chi Psi) brother as being “obsessed with (Sacha Baron Cohen’s) ‘Da Ali G Show,’” and when Corcoran saw the movie, he said he was “laughing the entire time.”