Timothée Chalamet was far from unknown when he showed up at a Timothée Chalamet look-alike contest in New York City.
There was “pandemonium” among contestants and bystanders on Sunday when, 30 minutes after the tournament began, the New York native arrived among the throng, which NBC News estimated to be in the thousands.
There were gasps and shrieks as Chalamet, who has been filming Marty Supreme in New York City, joined his brunette, wavy-haired counterparts in Washington Square Park. The Associated Press reported that Chalamet was escorted by security.
The actor, who wore a mustache and shorter hair under his black hat than many of the candidates, flashed peace signals as he stood next to the aspirants, who imitated his Dune and Wonka looks in the hopes of winning the $50 prize—and bragging rights.
Miles Mitchell, a 21-year-old Staten Island native, won the award. He was dressed like Willy Wonka, complete with a briefcase, and helped win over the judges by flinging sweets to the audience.
Mitchell received a large check made out to “Best Tim.”
According to USA Today, because organizers, including YouTuber Anthony Po and Instagram personality Tamir Omari, did not get a permit, the NYPD dispersed what it termed an “unscheduled demonstration.” A police official informed the newspaper that four persons were arrested and released with a summons.
The Cut shared a video of a Chalamet doppelganger being handcuffed.
According to the Associated Press, organizers marketed the event by putting fliers across New York City in the days preceding the tournament. They were fined $500. Variety reported that by Sunday morning, there had been 2,500 RSVPs to an online invitation.
“‘Tis the way of culture,” Po said, holding out his fine. “And this is the price of culture.”
“It started as a silly joke and now it’s turned pandemonium,” said Paige Nguyen, a producer who assisted Po in organizing the event, according to the Associated Press.
“We got kicked out of Washington Square Park,” Omari explained in a video. “We could not have predicted such a large turnout. We expected to have a well-organized look-alike contest.”
Chalamet is one of Hollywood’s most popular and financially successful talents. He’ll next be seen as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, which hits theaters on December 25. The heartthrob has been dating Kylie Jenner, a reality star turned makeup mogul, since last year.
