Mauricio Galante didn’t know what movie filmed scenes at his Arlington driving range last fall, at least not until the first trailer was released for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.
That’s when the phone calls and texts from family and friends started pouring in.
“The producer was right,” the Golf Center of Arlington owner said. “I was really going to know when this movie comes out.”
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm takes place 14 years after the the first movie, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.
Galante said he was contacted in late September last year by a scouting agency, asking to shoot a few scenes at his driving range. The agency called Wednesday night, and by Friday morning, the crew of around 15 to 20 people were there and ready to film, he said.
Initially, Galante offered the production a driving range bay to rent out, but the producers instead wanted to rent out the entire range for five hours. So, he agreed and had to sign a confidentiality agreement, stating that if he saw anything being filmed he couldn’t tell anyone about it.
When the crew got there Friday morning, they started setting up covering around the bays in which they were going to shoot, and Galante said he was asked to remain in his office while they were there.
“I can’t walk my own place? What the heck,” he joked.
Posted by Golf Center of Arlington on Monday, October 19, 2020
Galante had asked the movie’s producer how he would know if the movie was going to be released, and the producer replied, “Oh, you’re definitely going to know when the movie comes out."
Upon learning that the producer was correct, he couldn’t have been happier.
Galante, who moved to the United States from Brazil in 2004, said his English wasn’t great then. At the time the movie came out in 2006, he owned a skydiving company in Connecticut and said his staff kept telling him he sounded like Borat and even bought him a shirt that said “sexy time,” a Borat quote from the first movie.
“I love the movie,” he said. “[Borat] is hilarious; he’s such a joker.”
Galante said he plans to watch the new movie when it’s released, adding that he can’t wait to see what was filmed at his driving range. He hopes that driving range’s appearance in the movie will bring in additional customers.
Along with watching the movie, Galante is also planning to impersonate Borat himself this weekend at the Golf Center of Arlington. He said his wife bought him a grey suit and fake mustache, so he will be hanging around the range quoting Borat, sharing laughs and photos with customers who stop by.
“We need to celebrate every little thing that happens to us,” he said. “Especially the funny ones.”
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is available on Amazon Prime Video.
