A Timothée Chalamet look-alike contest was held in New York City, with multiple arrests and a very special guest.
by Anna Oswald
Credit: The Timothée Chalamet look-alike competition morphed New York City into an absurdist circus | Salon.com
Going from the internet’s pandemic heartthrob to winning 43 film awards (along with 108 nominations) is a feat few can say they’ve accomplished. When we think of Timothée Hal Chalamet, of course, we think of his perfect chestnut-colored curls cascading down his porcelain skin, his magnetic peridot-colored eyes splattered with golden-brown flecks, and a jawline that can seemingly cut through steel. A true 21st-century shapeshifter: able to wrench ceaseless tears from audiences through his performances in Call Me By Your Name and Beautiful Boy, to provoke laughter and singalongs through his whimsical performance as Willy Wonka or as Laurie in Little Women, to his more chilling performances as Paul Atreides in Dune and Henry V in The King.
On October 27, 2024, a last-minute contest was hosted in New York City’s Washington Square Park to judge and award the best Timothee Chalamet lookalike. Fifty dollars was promised to one of the countless Wonkas and Paul Atreideses who wandered around the park, flaunting their Chalamet-like curls and sharp cheekbones.
Things began to escalate as the police demanded the Timothées and spectators leave the park because of their “unpermitted costume contest,” and fined the organizers 500$. Things kicked up a notch when a few Timothées were carried away in handcuffs and taken into custody.
But no lookalike or spectator was prepared when a certain Timmy cut his way through the crowd over to a group of contestants with a swarm of burly bodyguards on his tail. His costume seemed pretty low-effort: a dark sweater and a cap covering his hair. Except it wasn’t a lookalike– the real Timothée left contest go-ers screaming as he unexpectedly crashed the contest, taking pictures and dapping up his doppelgängers.
The contest was organized by New Jersey Youtuber Anthony Potero, a YouTuber known for hosting look-alike contests. While his previous contests had attracted around 50 people, this one boasted 10,000, catching the attention of city officials.
“I thought, ‘There is not a single place on earth that is less safe at 1 p.m. on Sunday for Timothée Chalamet than Washington Square Park,’” Potero expressed (from The New York Times).
After the police and the real Timmy had dawned enough chaos on Washington Square Park, the lookalikes and spectators migrated to Mercer Playground to continue what was left of the contest. A winner was eventually selected: Miles Mitchell, a 21-year-old hailing from Staten Island who was dressed as Willy Wonka.
The Wonka winner: Miles Mitchell, a 21-year-old from Staten Island
Spectators near and far have wondered why Mitchell was selected as the most Timothee of all Timothees: Was it his charisma or the accuracy of his costume? Or, perhaps had he bribed his way to the top with free chocolate treats? Regardless of the answers to such questions, it is safe to say he was lucky the real Timmy failed to enter his own contest.
Anna Oswald is a Microbiology & Cell Science Major and French Minor, as well as an online writer for Rowdy Magazine.