A YouTube video of a man throwing a pile of cigarette butts and ash into the lap of a litterer that became a sensation in Quebec has turned out to be a hoax.

Claude Landry and Martin Thibaudeau admit they lied about the video, which they had posted on the video-sharing website YouTube. It showed Landry, 47, snapping at a driver who emptied his ashtray on the street.

Instead of a spontaneous act of litter vigilantism, the men admitted Thursday they planned the whole thing to recreate an experience Landry had 15 years ago and then lied about the video's origins.

In separate interviews with the Canadian Press on Wednesday, both men denied the video was a fabrication, going into detail about Landry's emotional reaction and their fear of retribution from the driver.

They changed their tune Thursday after their YouTube traffic grew from 2,000 to 35,000 hits and a few of the 250 commenters questioned the veracity of the video.

"You might have asked me if it's a spoof, is that real?" Thibaudeau said Thursday.

"I said it did happen. We played along, definitely. We played along. We never asked to go on the news."

Items about the spoof appeared on several local radio stations along with CBC News, CTV and French-language TV stations.

Thibaudeau, an actor who has appeared in prominent Quebec films including Bon Cop Bad Cop, was interviewed twice by the Canadian Press on Wednesday to make sure he stood by the veracity of the video.

"Geez," he said. "I know it looks funny because I'm an actor, but I wasn't even the one on the video."

Thibaudeau said the video was shot "in good faith for the message, for the discussion that it caused, for the reflection that it caused."

Thibaudeau said he was sorry if the stunt had caused any trouble.