Katy Perry is now a well-known pop sensation with international fame, but she was once simply a broke girl who pretended to be Zooey Deschanel in order to get into clubs.

During an Instagram Live video with Zooey Deschanel on Monday night, the singer claimed that she used to exploit the two’s resemblance to enjoy some privileges back in the early 2000s, before she was a household name.

Zooey Deschanel and Katy Perry (Photo by Jesse Grant/WireImage for Bluprint)

“When I moved to LA maybe 18 years ago … I was pretty much a nobody, and you were like just getting so huge at that time, it was like Zooey Deschanel ran the world.

“In that moment, I was so complimented to look like you.

“But I have to admit something to you. When I first got to LA, I went to the club. A lot. And I wanted to get into the club, but I had no money, I had no clout, I had nothing, and sometimes I would pose as you to get into the club.”

While Perry felt awful about using her likeness to the Almost Famous actor to go partying, Deschanel, 40, claimed word came back to her about the pop singer’s imitation binge, and she was perfectly cool with it despite some initial reservations.

Katy Perry pretended to be Zooey Deschanel ( Image: screen grab)

“Well, I know this,” she said, much to Katy’s chagrin. “People were like, ‘I saw you!’ But I’m such a goody two-shoes, and people kept going like, ‘I saw you out! I made eye contact with you!’ Then everybody kept telling me about you, ‘This girl Katy, she looks just like you,’ and I’m like, ‘Who is this Katy?’ And then when I first met you, I was so relieved because you’re so pretty, and I was like, ‘Oh, thank god. She’s so pretty,’” Zooey added.

“You never know when people say you look like somebody what they’re gonna look like and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, she’s gorgeous. Thank you.’ ”

Perry admitted to being “crunk in the club” and “turned up to 11” during her LA clubbing days.

Katy apologised to the actress ( Image: Instagram)

“I’m sorry if I misrepresented you. I wanted to say that now,” Perry said of her “Faux-ey” phase, to which Deschanel, of She & Him, replied, “It’s a compliment!”