Celebrity look-alikes may be a dime a dozen online, but it’s not every day the real star crashes the party—especially when the contest is promoted by a piece of printer paper tacked to a random pole near Washington Square Park in NYC.
Yet, that’s exactly what went down this weekend as Timothée Chalamet himself appeared at a look-alike contest in his honor.
Timothée Chalamet Shows Up to the Contest
The contest, which promised a $50 cash prize, spread across the city with homemade posters a few days before the event. Online, word spread fast, and the RSVP list quickly ballooned into the thousands.
And as fate would have it, Chalamet caught wind of the grassroots gathering via a flier nailed to a post. Chalamet decided to join the fun, making an unexpected appearance to take photos alongside his doppelgänger contestants.
The 28-year-old actor posed for photos with his doubles, who were dressed as his characters from Wonka and the Dune movies, while bodyguards stood nearby.
The frenzy drew a crowd that was hard to ignore. So hard, in fact, that it drew the attention of local authorities.
Turns out, you need a permit to host these kinds of events—no matter how humble the beginnings are.
Free Timmy!
Police quickly intervened, ordering the crowd to disperse and issuing a $500 fine to the organizers. Officers also took one contestant away in handcuffs, though it’s unclear why or what charges they faced. Three other people were reportedly handcuffed as well and taken away from the crowded park.
In videos of the real-life cameo posted online, members of the crowds can be heard yelling“Free Timmy” at the police!
Undeterred, organizers relocated the contest to a second spot, Mercer Playground, and kept things going with a round of questions for the look-alikes, including topics on Chalamet’s rumored romance with Kylie Jenner and his “plans for world peace.”
Who Won the Contest?
Though the real Chalamet didn’t compete, Staten Island’s Miles Mitchell took home the $50 prize, issued as a giant, gameshow-style check and a trophy, wowing judges in a Willy Wonka-inspired outfit reminiscent of Gene Wilder’s classic look.
Mitchell proudly showed off his trophy on his subway ride home on his Instagram, declaring victory among the crowd of dedicated fans.
As for the rest of us, we missed our chance for now. We’ll just have to catch those wind-swept curls on the silver screen.
This article is for informational purposes only. Trendy Matters has no affiliation with any of the brands or individuals mentioned, and the views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
