00:00They all love you. Where are you? Where are you?
00:03The feeling is mutual.
00:05I love you. I love you. I love you.
00:07Love you.
00:09This episode of THR News is brought to you by Netflix's Squid Game for your Emmy consideration.
00:15J.K. Rowling has fallen victim to a hoax by a prankster duo who tricked the Harry Potter author
00:19into believing she was having a Zoom call with the president of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky.
00:24Rowling was fooled by Russian comedy duo Vovin and Lexus,
00:27who are infamous for prank-calling celebrities.
00:30Their past victims include Elton John, Prince Harry, Billie Eilish, Kamala Harris,
00:35Bernie Sanders, and George W. Bush.
00:37The author's spokesperson called the hoax distasteful and noted,
00:41J.K. Rowling was approached to talk about her extensive charitable work in Ukraine,
00:45supporting children and families who have been affected by the current conflict in the region.
00:49The video, which has been edited, is a distorted representation of the conversation.
00:53During the 12-minute increasingly awkward video, the pranksters made remarks such as Harry Potter's
00:59lightning bolt forehead scar looking like a Z, which the Russian military has put on its tanks
01:04during its invasion of Ukraine and has become a symbol of support for the war among Russians.
01:09Maybe it's better to put the Ukrainian trident, it's our sign of Ukraine, on his forehead.
01:19The duo also pressed Rowling on whether Dumbledore was really gay and asked who he slept with.
01:24Hopefully not with a transgender person.
01:31This would be such a pleasure.
01:33The Zelensky impersonator was apparently audio-only during the call,
01:36so no polyjuice potion needed, but did turn on their webcam at one point to introduce
01:41The Order of the Ukrainian Phoenix, a trio wearing t-shirts that read,
01:45Only Putin in Russian.
01:46Beyond the specifics of the pranks themselves,
01:48Vovin and Lexus have been criticized in the past for often targeting high-profile people
01:53who are critical of Russian foreign policy, leaving some to suspect they're state actors.
01:58As for Rowling, the author's most recent work was co-writing and producing Fantastic Beasts,
02:02The Secrets of Dumbledore, which recently started streaming on HBO Max.
02:06To watch the full video and for more details on this story, head to the article on THR.com.
02:12And for the latest entertainment news and updates, keep watching The Hollywood Reporter News.
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