A Kiwi movie fan got more than he bargained for on Tuesday after he called a phone number on a billboard.
Seeing the digits on a billboard promoting The Disaster Artist, New Zealand-native Steve Newall called it – only for the film’s star James Franco to answer.
Not only that, the actor was in the midst of a live interview with Conan O’Brien on his late night talk show.
‘What are you guys up to?’: A New Zealand fan got more than he bargained for this week when The Disaster Artist star James Franco (left) hilariously answers his call during a live interview on Conan O’Brien’s late-night talk show
In the humorous segment, James answered the call using the voice of his character Tommy Wiseau.
‘Hello? Hello? This is Tommy Wiseau,’ James said as Conan and the show’s guest listened in.
The actor continued: ‘This is Tommy Wiseau, who’s this?’
‘Hey this is Steve, I’m just having lunch in Auckland, New Zealand’: the Kiwi man responded casually to James Franco’s questions
‘Hey this is Steve, I’m just having lunch in Auckland, New Zealand,’ the Kiwi man responded with a thick accent.
Casually, he questioned: ‘What are you guys up to?”
In character, James replied he was on Conan’s show – only to be met with confusion at the other end of the line.
‘Conan the Barbarian?’ Steve asked as Conan acted offended by the response.
Guessing again, Steve then questioned if James was referring to ‘Conan Washington’.
Hello? Hello? This is Tommy Wiseau,’ the actor answered the call in character and Conan, his guests and the audience listened in
In character: James portrays Tommy Wiseau in The Disaster Artist (pictured right with brother and co-star Dave Franco)
Steve, who is the editor of New Zealand publication Flicks, later explained he’d been calling the number since spotting the Hollywood billboard emblazoned with the digits.
‘I’d been trying to get through to Franco/Wiseau for weeks… I’d pretty much given up, and then in the middle of an Important Work Lunch I went to play my fellow diners the answerphone message, but something was different. Franco had picked up.’ he wrote.
‘And of all the times to get through to him… It was right at this moment.’
‘And of all the times to get through to him’: Steve explained he had been calling the number since spotting the Hollywood billboard emblazoned with the digits