The Los Angeles real estate agent thrust into the center of Sacha Baron Cohen’s viral mansion ambush in ‘Ali G: Who Iz I?’ has revealed new details about the four-hour prank — revealing he had no idea he was being tricked and only discovered the truth when the film’s trailer dropped.

Adriel Hsu, 34, became an internet sensation after viewers watched him keep an unflappable poker face in the new mockumentary while touring an ultra-luxury modern estate in Bel-Air.

Throughout the extended sequence, the unsuspecting agent was forced to act as a domestic referee between Ali G and his pregnant partner, Julie—played by Cohen and British-Australian comedian Morgana Robinson, respectively. The setup culminates in a bizarre standoff in which Cohen insists on fist-bumping Hsu from a toilet seat amid aggressive sound effects of flatulence.

According to Hsu, producers meticulously sold the ruse from the start, scouting him under the guise of an authentic luxury competition series.

“The producers had found me through my social media and reached out saying Prime Video was trying to compete with Netflix on reality luxury real estate shows and were filming a new show called ‘Realtor Swap,’ where they put realtors from different states to try to sell luxury real estate in another market,” Hsu exclusively told the California Post. 

“I filled out a personality questionnaire and then did a Zoom interview with them throughout the casting process. So I knew I was being filmed and didn’t find the five-man camera crew following us around as unusual.”

“I definitely didn’t expect to end up becoming a relationship counselor along the way!”

The shoot began quietly when Robinson arrived on set first, playing the part of a discerning high-end buyer.

“Julie arrived first and it seemed like a very normal showing. She was professional and polite and we toured the house,” Hsu explained. 

“Then Ali G arrived about 40 minutes later. So the producer told me beforehand the first prospective buyer was quite a bit eccentric. So I was kind of expecting something out of the ordinary so I didn’t think too much of it when Ali G arrived.”

Because Hsu had never seen Cohen’s previous work, the satirist went completely unrecognized beneath his trademark yellow shades, skullcap, and oversized streetwear.

“I never watched the original Ali G movie nor Borat, so I didn’t recognize Sacha or Morgana,” Hsu said. 

“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. I figured I’d just treat them like any other clients and give them the best showing possible. Little did I know what I was getting myself into.”

Early red flags surfaced almost immediately, including Cohen pointing to an expensive baby grand piano and dismissing it as an “unlevel, s—t table.”

“The piano comment was definitely an early sign that this wasn’t going to be a typical showing, however that part was right after Ali G arrived, so I still thought it was just his eccentric personality,” Hsu recalled. 

“We filmed for three to four hours and toured every room of the house. About 30 minutes in we were in the kitchen I started thinking something was a little off. But I kept going and at times even played along a little with his eccentric dialogue, but when I did that he would move on to another part of the house.”

Two hours into the grueling tour, Hsu became suspicious enough to corner the crew while the comedy duo stepped away.

“Ali G and Julie went off alone for five minutes and I was left with just the cameramen and I even asked them if this was scripted or a prank, but props to them they kept a dead straight face and said no,” Hsu admitted. 

“I figured either way, if this was a real, eccentric buyer or a prank, then this would make for good TV!”

As shown in the film, the tour soon unraveled into domestic warfare, when Cohen pulled Hsu into a separate room to break the news that their “HBO deal fell through,” leaving the agent stuck running back and forth to deliver intimate grievances.

“I’ve had to be the bearer of bad news before so this was nothing new to me. I was just trying to be accommodating and keep things moving. Sometimes in real estate you have to wear a lot of different hats, and a relationship counselor sometimes is one of those!” Hsu said. 

“It was definitely a test of my professionalism! I basically went into customer-service mode and stayed neutral, no matter how ridiculous the conversation became. Those scenes were also filmed at the very end of the day after four hours of filming so I was already accustomed to Ali G being very eccentric by that point!”

The tour reached peak absurdity in the primary bathroom, where Cohen ducked into the stall and continued negotiating while seated on the toilet bowl — complete with loud audio of unyielding flatulence — before reaching out his arm to offer a fist-bump.

“That was probably the moment I realized this guy really is crazy!” Hsu said. 

“I guess I was just so shocked it took me a few seconds to process what was happening. At first I thought, ‘Is this guy for real?’ Then I was just thinking ‘Okay, relay the message and get out of here ASAP!’”

Unlike traditional prank formats that conclude with a host yelling “Gotcha!”, the production team doubled down on the illusion until the very end.

“They never told me!” Hsu revealed.

“The scene walking out the front door and driveway, the producers were actually there and acting along upset and saying they need to call the police. The camera crew never stopped filming and Sacha and Morgana never broke character.

“The producer just said we’ll have to reschedule the shoot for the next client and put me back with my chauffeur to drive me home and I still had the house keys with me. I never found out until the trailer came out and I was in it!”

Born and raised in California, Hsu has lived in Texas for the past decade, where his firm Sagewood Custom Homes develops luxury properties in the greater Houston area. While he is no stranger to odd clients, he noted: “I’ve dealt with eccentric sellers before, but definitely nothing close to this level! I certainly never imagined I’d end up being part of one of his movies!”

Since the film premiered, Hsu’s deadpan resilience has won over viewers worldwide — though he insists keeping his composure came naturally.

“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 and makes it easy for me to keep my composure and professionalism,” 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!”

Reflecting on the wild scene, Hsu holds nothing but praise for Cohen’s comedy.

“Looking back, 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.”