Sacha Baron Cohen is going to be very upset if Bruno doesn’t enjoy a big box office opening weekend when it hits theaters this July, because the comic actor suffered serious burns after trying to bleach his body hair to play the gay Austrian fashion reporter in the new comedy.

The Golden Globe winner used strong chemicals to make him look “all-over hairless” during filming, but that didn’t go according to play. The 37-year-old star suffered an allergic reaction to the bleach and broke out in a painful rash. He was taken to the hospital and couldn’t sit down for three days.

A source revealed to Britain’s The Sun newspaper: “Sacha is committed to as much realism as he can muster in his films. He’d heard that all-over hairlessness is a popular trend in the gay community, so he thought he’d bleach all his hair so it looked invisible.”

“But it quickly turned into a disaster. Shortly after having the procedure done he felt a burning sensation and it grew steadily worse,” the spy said. “He had a bad allergic reaction to hydrogen peroxide, which is a strong bleaching agent. It was so severe around a certain part of his anatomy that he couldn’t sit down for three days.”

Armed with an arsenal of doctor prescribed soothing cream and antihistamines, Sacha’s injury delayed filming for nearly a week.

“Crew members found the whole incident hilarious….”