Oh brother

Mark Strong joins Sacha Baron Cohen for sibling shenanigans.

If there was a moment in Grimsby where Mark Strong realised what a perfectionist his co-star was, it was when Sacha Baron Cohen gave him a wedgie.

The story of two brothers reunited, the scene saw Baron Cohen’s footie lout, Nobby, affectionately yank on super-spy Sebastian’s undies. “As he went to do it, he noticed I had my own underpants on – Calvin Kleins,” reports Strong. “He said to me, ‘Oh I don’t know if a super-spy will be wearing those!’”

While he’s played spooks in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Kingsman: The Secret Service, the Brit actor has never done comedy like Baron Cohen, the creator of Borat and Ali G, who is famous for going deep into character. “He wanted us to call him Nobby,” remembers Strong, who was also taken aback by the lengthy improvisations required. “We would just riff all day. The longest take we did, famously, was 42 minutes.”

Already, the film has angered residents of Grimsby, where Nobby and Sebastian are raised before being separated as youngsters. Local MP Austin Mitchell claims the film has potential to create “a very damaging image” for the Lincolnshire seaside resort. “Personally, I think it’s an affectionate look at the town,” says Strong. “It’s taking the piss, slightly, but it’s not meant with anything other than a sense of humour. It’s not a concerted attack on Grimsby.”

After winding up the whole nation of Kazakhstan during Borat, Baron Cohen is more than used to this. But Strong maintains Grimsby is a very different film for its creator. Directed by Now You See Me’s Louis Leterrier, his ambition was to create a film that veers between comedy, action and drama: “It’s similar to Kingsman in that there will be a lot of action and it’s going to be funny.” As Borat might say, it’s nice! JM

ETA | 24 February Grimsby opens this month.