Sarah Palin campaigning in Iowa and, inset, comedian Marc-Antoine Audette. Photos / AP
The Canadian comedians who set Sarah Palin up by pretending to be French president Nicolas Sarkozy in a phonecall have said it was "frightening" how she never suspected it was a prank.
Marc-Antoine Audette recorded a six-minute conversation with the US vice-presidential candidate at the weekend, in which
he referred to French singer Johnny Hallyday as an American adviser and talked about shooting animals from helicopters.
Palin appeared to not realise at any point that she had been set up.
Audette and his partner Sebastien Trudel have now explained, in an interview with Canadian newspaper the Globe and Mail, how they got away with the stunt.
They spent five days last week persuading Palin's Republican Party staff that President Sarkozy wanted to speak with her on the phone.
"When we started to work on the idea last Tuesday, we thought it would be mission impossible. But after about a dozen calls, we started to realize it might work, because her staff didn't know the name of the French President. They asked us to spell it," Audette told the newspaper.
Trudel said: "She never, never suspected anything. It was a little bit frightening."
The pair, who have made a name for themselves with similar pranks, said the key was to be convincing in the first calls and always arrange to place the call at a set time, not to leave a contact number.
They said the prank was simply a joke and not intended to be a political statement.
Palin's spokeswoman said: "Governor Palin was mildly amused to learn that she had joined the ranks of heads of state, including President Sarkozy, and other celebrities in being targeted by these pranksters. C'est la vie."
- NZ HERALD STAFF
