Borat's Maria Bakalova Says She's Still in Touch With on-Screen Babysitter, Jeanise Jones

Maria Bakalova, who played Borat's daughter Tutar in the famous movie sequel, recently told the Los Angeles Times about her relationship with on-screen babysitter, Jeanise Jones. It seems that the 62-year-old Borat icon melted hearts even when the cameras weren't rolling.

"Jeanise is a true angel," Bakalova said. "I will probably always think of her as my godmother, a real hero and life coach. She just wanted to help this girl become a strong woman. We had a real human connection from the very first day we met."

The Bulgarian actress said she and Jones are still in touch and recently talked on Thanksgiving. "It was my first American Thanksgiving and was also my best," Maria shared. "I was so happy to talk to her that I started to cry." Bakalova also discussed the difficulties of filming when Jones did not know the reality of the set.

The caring babysitter thought she was starring in a documentary, not a Hollywood movie. "At ABSOLUTELY NO time did I know this was a satirical comedy movie and that I was being "setup" so to speak," Jeanise wrote on Twitter after the film's release.

"When we were shooting, it was very hard for me because I wanted to tell her not to worry about me," Maria said of hiding the truth from her kind co-star. "She is a really good example of how important it is to be a good person and care about others."

While the New York Post reported that Jones felt "betrayed" by the film, the Borat star clarified otherwise. "'Betrayed' never came out of my mouth," she told Variety. "I don't know where they got that from. I'm not ever going to say I was betrayed because it was partially my fault I didn't read the contracts."