Rosamund Pike says being in a sinking car was more pleasant than Borat's Rudy Giuliani scene

The breakout star of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm now has more than just a tiny plastic baby to show for her stellar performance in Sacha Baron Cohen's hit sequel — she has the unyielding admiration of Rosamund Pike.

Maria Bakalova — the Bulgarian actress who gave the wildest performance of the year as Tutar, the teenage daughter of Cohen's titular journalist in the mockumentary feature — received glowing praise from the I Care a Lot performer, who claimed her first Golden Globe for her stellar turn in the new Netflix dramedy at Sunday night's ceremony but turned the spotlight on the rising star during her acceptance speech.

"Thank you for recognizing the dark side of comedy. [To] my fellow nominees, I'm so honored to be in this room with you. In my movie, I had to swim up from a sinking car. I would still rather do that than being in a room with Rudy Giuliani," Pike said, referencing a harrowing scene she filmed for I Care a Lot. "Maria, I salute your bravery."

Pike, of course, was referencing Bakalova's headline-making bit from the film, which saw her performing impromptu bits while breaking into the CPAC, infiltrating a conservative concert, performing a shockingly explicit "moonblood dance" at a Southern debutante ball, and fronting a one-on-one interview with Rudy Giuliani that appeared to end with the political figure seemingly reaching his hand down his pants after entering a private room with the actress.

"What I believe it may have done was to reduce the impact of the Republicans' October surprise that was being delivered by the president's lawyer," star Sacha Baron Cohen previously told EW of the scene. "Remember, the movie was released on Amazon prior to the final presidential debate. And the image of Rudy Giuliani on the bed with his hand down his trousers was circulating the day before that. So did it slightly dampen the impact of his October surprise? I hope so. I would say comedy and satire humbled the powerful. That's what I tried to do in Borat."

In a race stacked with contenders, Pike claimed the award over Bakalova, presumed to be the frontrunner for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar (though she campaigned Lead here), and fellow category contenders Kate Hudson (Music), Michelle Pfeiffer (French Exit), and Emma actress Anya Taylor-Joy.

A past Globe nominee for Gone Girl and A Private War, Pike's buzzy turn in the J Blakeson-directed thriller I Care a Lot earned widespread critical acclaim, as the actress flexed her chops as a ruthless scammer who games the court system to acquire legal guardianship of — and drain resources from — elderly people until one target (Dianne Wiest) thrusts her into a dangerous (and violent) criminal web. The film quickly shot to the top of Netflix's most-watched chart shortly after its Feb. 20 release, and has since generated a wealth of online reactions on social media comparing the performance to her celebrated work in Gone Girl.

"I certainly enjoyed returning to the stage where I can enjoy darkly and sort of satirically shocking people, I suppose," Pike previously told EW. "I do think [both characters] would be two interesting women to get in a room together. I don't think they would like each other very much at all."

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