The Tom Cruise impersonator who unexpectedly found himself involved in one of New Zealand radio’s most infamous pranks has shared his deepest apology to Simon Barnett eight years later.
Ahead of Si meeting the REAL Tom Cruise, at the ‘Mission: Impossible Final Reckoning’ premiere this week, the More FM Breakfast Club went full circle this morning and interviewed Evan Ferrante, who played the main part in the set-up.
Calling in from LA, Evan explained: “I heard about it very shortly after. There was a huge backlash, and I felt terrible.”
Evan believed the ‘entire country’ hated him at the time, describing his reason for taking part as, “Oh, it's a prank, I'm sure they have a good sense of humour and they prank each other all the time.”
He was completely unaware of the extent of Si’s fandom for Tom Cruise. Safe to say, he gets it now.
These days, Evan is still in high demand impersonating Cruise professionally.
“So much has happened since,” he said. “I’ve never worked this much in my life.”
Evan ended the call on a wholesome note, saying: “I just want to formally apologise to the people of New Zealand, I think we call 'em Kiwis.”
Apology accepted, mate.
ICYMI - Back in 2017, while Tom Cruise was filming in NZ, More FM offered $5K to anyone who could get him on-air with Simon Barnett. But instead of the real deal, The Edge swooped in with a Tom Cruise impersonator.
For a solid 12 minutes, Simon genuinely believed he was interviewing his celebrity idol - until the prank was revealed, leaving the More FM family shattered.
Now, The Breakfast Club are seeking redemption with Simon and Lana on their way to meet the real Tom Cruise in South Korea this week at the premiere of ‘Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning’.
Follow their journey on The Breakfast Club Instagram page.
