Watch: What Happens When You Pretend You’ve Won an Oscar
READ MORE: 5 Reasons the Oscars Should Not Go Back to 5 Nominees
Have you ever wondered what it feels like to win an Oscar? Would people treat you differently? Would you get stuff for free? That’s exactly what Mark David Christenson tries to find out in this prank video from New Media Rockstars.
On Oscar night, February 22, Christenson set out to the streets of Hollywood dressed in a rented tux and carrying a fake Academy Award. What follows was a night that Christenson will never forget. As a result of looking the part, Christenson made it through several levels of security, into parties without a ticket, and was even offered a free ride, courtesy of a questionable valet. Check out the prank below:
Indiewire got a hold of Christenson to inquire into a few more details about the night. Christenson said the valet was surprisingly understanding, and no, he never did call that girl.
“No one ever called me out for being a fake Oscar Winner the entire night,” Christensen said, noting that even real Oscars don’t have the winners’ name engraved on them until later. “There was one white mustached gentleman, I do believe was officially with the Oscars, at the Roosevelt Hotel, that took a very long and close look at my statue while I was being swarmed by admirers wanting selfies. When we met eyes I could tell he knew it wasn’t legit. I winked at the gentleman and said to ‘You know what I am doing.’ He simply laughed, made no attempt to stop the charade.”
But despite the jealousy that we plebeians may feel towards celebrities and their privileges, Christenson said that everyone he encountered seemed genuinely happy for him.
“I think it showed that people are happy to see others, especially celebrities, succeed,” said Christenson. “Celebrity culture is a thing that quickly gets called out for being a negative, however as you saw in the video and what I experienced was what I can only call a positive mob mentality. People were overjoyed and happy for me that simply gesture of kindness goes a long way even for a fake oscar winner.”
READ MORE: Meet the Designer Behind the Oscars’ Gorgeous Title Card Sequences
