TORONTO — During the Jan. 3 broadcast of ABC’s “World News Tonight” Diane Sawyer introduced a heartbreaking segment from the Iowa caucus, featuring a distraught voter being consoled by Mitt Romney. “Save the small families of America,” she begged through tears, as Mr. Romney hugged her and promised he would.

As audiences at the Toronto International Film Festival recently discovered, that was no conservative Christian in Mr. Romney’s arms. It was the actress Jane Edith Wilson, star of “Janeane From Des Moines,” which might be called a mockumentary but which features a rather prestigious lineup of supporting players, including Mr. Romney, Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. They were running in this year’s Republican primaries as “Janeane” went shopping for a candidate to support.

ABC was certainly not the only news organization taken in by Ms. Wilson’s performance, nor Mr. Romney the only politician. As Juana Summers of Politico reported during a campaign stop by Mrs. Bachmann, “Janeane Wilson, 47, who drove from near Waukee, Iowa, to see Bachmann got more than 10 minutes with the presidential candidate but finished still unsure.” Kathie Obradovich, a political columnist for The Des Moines Register, blogged about Janeane and her indecision about whether to vote for Mr. Santorum, Mrs. Bachmann or Mr. Perry.

ABC News and Ms. Summers declined to comment, as did the Romney and Bachmann campaigns. But Ms. Obradovich was good-natured about the ruse. “I do remember there was a camera hovering over her, but as far as I remember, I don’t think she went out of the way to get my attention,” she said, adding with a laugh, “When I interview people, I don’t usually ask for a driver’s license.”