Sacha Baron Cohen fears sword-fighting injury while starring in Quentin Tarantino's play

Sacha Baron Cohen is concerned about receiving an injury while sword fighting in Quentin Tarantino's play The Popinjay Cavalier.

The Borat star is currently taking 10 hours of sword-fighting lessons a week to prepare to play the lead character in the famed director's swashbuckling comedy.

During an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Baron Cohen jokingly revealed that his sword-fighting trainers have not instilled much confidence about his risk of injury during the run.

"It's going to be terrifying, particularly because there are swords. All my tutors, the sword masters, they all have terrible scars," he shared. "I go, 'Is this safe?' They go, 'It's unlikely you'll get injured.' 'What do you mean unlikely? What about 100% (assurance)?'

"They go, 'After three months, people get sloppy.' I go, 'This is not what I want to hear!' But I've already committed, and I, my sword fighting, will be good."

However, the British actor noted that there will be around 30 to 40 other people also on stage fighting with swords and daggers.

The Popinjay Cavalier, which marks Baron Cohen's West End debut and Tarantino's first-ever theatre play, is a swashbuckling farce inspired by classic Hollywood adventure, featuring acrobatics and stage combat.

Set in 1830s Europe, the story follows Baron Cohen's character Rupert Sebastian Thomas Jr., the world's greatest actor, whose trip to Paris for a performance takes a dangerous turn.

Addressing Tarantino's script, the Ali G actor joked, "It's fantastic; I will probably ruin it, and it may get skewered on stage, but it's definitely good fun."

The Popinjay Cavalier will begin previews at London's Phoenix Theatre on 23 February before its official opening on 18 March.