‘HE CAME OUT OF NOWHERE’: Timothée Chalamet brazenly turns an NYC contest into a fever dream and then spectacularly loses to himself

Timothée Chalamet has shocked crowds by attending his own lookalike contest in New York City, though – confoundingly – he didn’t win. 

The actor made the surprise appearance at the Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest on Sunday, and was spotted taking photos and talking with crowds at the Washington Square Park event. The contest was organized by YouTube personality Anthony Po, who advertised the event with various flyers littered throughout the city. 

It’s reported that thousands of Chalamet doppelgänger RSVP’d and attended the lookalike event, and the clones were sent into a downright tizzy when the real Chalamet appeared flanked by security and sporting a backward hat. The Call Me By Your Name actor was seen with a Bob Dylan-like mustache, presumably from his role as the musician in the upcoming biopic A Complete Unknown, but it was his other characters who inspired his lookalikes.

Multiple Willy Wonka costumes were worn by Chalamet’s clones at the event, derived from the actor’s titular role in last year’s Wonka. The more sci-fi leaning doppelgängers were seen in costumes resembling Paul Atreides, Chalamet’s character from Dune and its sequel. The real actor was clearly swept up by the fanfare and was spotted taking pictures as attendees tried to decipher whether Chalamet was, in fact, Chalamet.

The event was almost brought to a standstill minutes before Chalamet made his entrance after police ordered the large crowd to disperse from Washington Square Park. Dealing a massive blow to the Wonka hat-wearing attendees, police also slapped the event organizers with a hefty fine for hosting an “unpermitted costume contest.” 

One lookalike was even reportedly taken away in handcuffs, and while it’s not yet known what costume that contestant was wearing, something about the image of Willy Wonka in a paddywagon rids the character of all his whimsy. “It started off as a silly joke and now it’s turned pandemonium,” one attendee told The Guardian. Most of the clones relocated to a new park after the brush with the police, and it was here that contests channeled the actor even further. 

It’s reported that, on a makeshift stage, the lookalikes were asked about their romantic plans with Kylie Jenner, referencing Chalamet’s rumored relationship with the reality TV star. Contestants were also asked about their ability to speak French, since Chalamet is bilingual, before organizers crowned one lucky lookalike with the $50 cash prize as the winner. That man was Miles Mitchell, a Staten Island resident and college senior who was dressed in a purple Wonka outfit. 

At one point, Mitchell was seen throwing candy from a briefcase to members of the crowd, which is a neat strategic play to get the sweet-toothed judges on his side. “I’m excited and I’m also overwhelmed,” Mitchell told The Guardian. “There were so many good lookalikes. It was really a toss-up.” 

In the lead-up to the event, it was reported that some doppelgängers made the hours-long journey from places like Ogdensburg, with one prospective entrant even considering traveling all the way from London. Is someone going to tell him that the $50 cash prize probably wouldn’t even cover his airport meal, let alone an international flight? I guess he could save some cash by bringing oompa loompas in his carry-on luggage.