Russian prankster duo ‘Vovan and Lexus’ posed as Greta Thunberg and her father in call to ‘Joker’ actor Joaquin Phoenix, lobbying for a cameo in the sequel – and getting praise from Phoenix once he figured out the deception.

Following up their first successful prank acting as Greta Thunberg and her father Svante – targeting Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-California) – Vovan and Lexus set their sights on Joaquin Phoenix, fresh from his Oscar nomination for his role in ‘Joker.’

Phoenix brought his fiancée Rooney Mara into the call, who was just as excited to talk to the young environmental activist as he was.

“Greta” introduced a campaign called “Stars Save the Earth,” in which she wanted to enlist celebrities to help spread awareness of climate change. Phoenix and Mara enthusiastically supported this move, offering to help in any way they could.

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Next, the pranksters asked to get “Greta” a cameo in the Joker sequel. To Phoenix’s delight, she suggested the role of Harley Quinn, because she also sometimes wanted to smash politicians with a “basketball bat” (sic).

Though it took a little convincing, “Greta” was able to get Phoenix to laugh like the Joker for her. The actor was surprisingly shy about this, but gave in after a few minutes of pleading.

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This segued into a skit where “Greta” and “Svante” pretended to have a fight, culminating in gunshots. It was at this point that Phoenix and Mara realized the call was a prank. The couple took it all in good fun, laughing and praising the pranksters.

“We’re totally being punked. It’s brilliant,” Phoenix says. “You guys, whatever team is behind this, you did brilliant work.”

“Now you see who is the real joker,” responds one of the pranksters.

‘Vovan and Lexus’ is a project by Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexey Stolyarov, who have been collaborating since 2014. The duo has a long and proud history of prank calls both in Russia and abroad.

Among their most famous marks have been then-UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, President of France Emmanuel Macron, and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

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