After years of fielding offers to play Israeli secret agent Eli Cohen in various projects, Sacha Baron Cohen took on the task in Gideon Raff's six-part Netflix series The Spy, which chronicles Eli Cohen's life as a poor accountant who is recruited by Israeli intelligence to pose as Kamel, a rich Syrian businessman who infiltrates the Syrian government.
Cohen, 48 (no relationship to the real-life figure he plays), opened up to THR about making the switch to drama, committing to months of research and relating to living a double life.
Why was this a role you wanted to play? It's a superhero story of sorts. He's a deputy accountant in a supermarket who ends up becoming arguably the most successful spy of the 20th century.
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