Sacha Baron Cohen's Hugo a Box Office Smash (VIDEO)

Sacha Baron Cohen has praised the filmmaking instincts of Martin Scorsese, and has discussed his role in the new film “Hugo.”

The actor praises Scorsese as an artist, who is one of the last of his kind in the film industry.

“Hugo,” which tells the story of a orphaned boy who lives in a train station in Paris during the 1930s, and who takes it upon himself to repair all the station's clocks, was the fifth highest grossing film at the box office during the Thanksgiving weekend, even though the film was exhibited in fewer theaters than other Thanksgiving releases.

In a recent interview with UPI, Cohen expressed admiration for Scorsese for making a film the director himself would like to see and not based on a focus group’s notion of how the film should be made.

 Sacha Baron Cohen’ Hugo a Box office Smash

The story, which is an adaptation of the children’s book by Brian Selznick is rumored to have cost between $150 to $170 million to make.

In “Hugo,” Cohen plays a train station inspector who is charged with apprehending wayward children and returning them to their parents, or dispatching them to the local orphanage. Cohen admits his character appears unlikable, but does not regard him as a vilain.

Over the past few years, the 40-year-old British actor and comedian, who previously attended the prestigious Cambridge University in England, has parlayed his own brand of quirky humor into box office success with such films as "Borat" and "Bruno."