Adriel Hsu spent four hours walking a couple through a Bel-Air mansion, mediating what he thought was a tense relationship dispute between two prospective buyers. He had no idea the man in the yellow sunglasses and skullcap was Sacha Baron Cohen, or that the entire encounter would end up in Cohen’s new mockumentary, “Ali G: Who Iz I?”
Hsu, 34, grew up in California and now runs Sagewood Custom Homes, a luxury development firm based in the greater Houston area. He told the California Post he only learned he’d been pranked when the film’s trailer was released and he saw himself in it.
“I never found out until the trailer came out and I was in it!” Hsu said.
A Convincing Setup
According to Hsu, producers approached him through social media, telling him he was being considered for a reality series called “Realtor Swap,” which was supposedly being developed to compete with Netflix’s luxury real estate shows. He said he filled out a personality questionnaire and did a Zoom interview as part of the casting process, which made the five-person camera crew following him seem routine.
“So I knew I was being filmed and didn’t find the five-man camera crew following us around as unusual,” Hsu said. “I definitely didn’t expect to end up becoming a relationship counselor along the way!”
British-Australian comedian Morgana Robinson, playing Cohen’s pregnant partner Julie, arrived first and toured the Bel-Air estate as what Hsu described as a professional, polite buyer. Cohen, in character as Ali G, showed up roughly 40 minutes later. A producer had warned Hsu in advance that the first buyer was “quite a bit eccentric,” so he wasn’t immediately alarmed.
Because Hsu had never seen Cohen’s earlier films, including the original “Ali G” movie or “Borat,” he said he didn’t recognize either performer. “In luxury real estate and in Los Angeles, you get people from all walks of life, and I’ve learned never to judge a potential buyer by their appearance,” he said.
Red Flags and Growing Suspicion
Early in the tour, Cohen dismissed an expensive baby grand piano as an “unlevel, s—t table,” which Hsu initially chalked up to an unusual personality. About 30 minutes in, while in the kitchen, Hsu said he began to sense something was off, though he kept the tour going and occasionally played along with Cohen’s dialogue.
Roughly two hours into filming, Hsu’s suspicion grew strong enough that he directly asked the camera crew if the whole thing was scripted. He said they kept straight faces and denied it.
“I figured either way, if this was a real, eccentric buyer or a prank, then this would make for good TV!” Hsu said.
The scene escalated when Cohen pulled Hsu aside to tell him their “HBO deal fell through,” sending Hsu back and forth between the couple to relay increasingly personal grievances. “I basically went into customer-service mode and stayed neutral, no matter how ridiculous the conversation became,” Hsu said, noting the scenes were filmed near the end of a four-hour shoot, after he’d grown accustomed to Cohen’s character.
The Bathroom Scene
The tour’s most absurd moment came in the primary bathroom, where Cohen, in character, sat on the toilet amid loud flatulence sound effects and extended his arm for a fist bump while continuing to negotiate.
“That was probably the moment I realized this guy really is crazy!” Hsu said. “At first I thought, ‘Is this guy for real?’ Then I was just thinking ‘Okay, relay the message and get out of here ASAP!'”
Even as Hsu left the property, the illusion held. He said producers on the driveway acted upset and talked about needing to call the police, while the crew kept filming and neither Cohen nor Robinson broke character. He was driven home by a chauffeur, still holding the house keys, believing the shoot would simply be rescheduled for another client.
A Deadpan Performance
Since the film’s release, Hsu’s unflappable demeanor throughout the ordeal has drawn attention online. He said staying composed wasn’t difficult for him after more than a decade in luxury real estate.
“Honestly, it’s just natural and easy for me to keep a poker face. I guess seeing all types of crazy for over a decade in real estate has made me somewhat numb,” Hsu said. “I’d say I had even better composure than Sacha himself as in that scene you can see him break character and almost lose it for a second!”
Looking back, Hsu said he has come away impressed by the production. “I have a tremendous appreciation for the creativity and commitment that went into making the whole situation work,” he said. “It’s been really fun seeing the scene from the audience’s perspective, especially knowing how unexpected the whole experience was for me.”
You must be logged in to post a comment Login