Miles Mitchell, 21, winner of the Timothee Chalamet lookalike contest near Washington Square Park, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
Curly-haired doppelgängers were no match for the real deal when the actor himself, Timothée Chalamet, surprised hordes of fans at a Washington Square Park look-alike contest.
Hundreds of people had packed the park by 1 p.m. Sunday when the unofficial contest was scheduled to take place. The winner was promised a $50 cash reward.
Chalamet look-alikes were seeing milling about the crowd, some inspired by the actor's on-screen roles. A Willy Wonka and Bob Dylan were spotted among the crowd.
There was plenty of commotion between the eager crowd hoping to catch the various Timmy look-alikes and the NYPD, who had officers attempting to manage the growing group of onlookers. Police tried to disperse the sizeable crowd for gathering without a permit.
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A police spokesperson said at least one person was detained and issued summonses.
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Amid the chaos and confusion of the event, Chalamet appeared in the middle of the crowd, surprising a possible look-alike posing for some photos.
Once the dust settled, the contest's organizer appeared to crown the winner adorned in the purple Wonka cape.
A Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest is happening in NYC pic.twitter.com/69PcfsrMWZ
— Pubity (@pubity) October 21, 2024
Initially, the event was treated with skepticism. However, The Gothamist confirmed the hosts and event are real. One of the hosts declined a formal interview with the outlet, saying they "didn’t want to 'ruin the illusion' of the event."
The "Wonka" star is producing and starring in "Marty Supreme," a biopic of table tennis champion Marty Reisman, along with Gwyneth Paltrow and rapper Tyler, the Creator.
