Paul Mescal lookalikes gathered in Dublin on Thursday afternoon to compete for a grand prize of 20 euros (or three pints, as the massive prize check states), one of many male actor lookalike contests planned in cities around the world after a Timothée Chalamet competition crashed by the actor himself in New York went viral online.
Timothée Chalamet lookalikes went viral for gathering in Washington Square Park on Oct. 27. (AP ... [+]
Young Irish men gathered in Smithfield Square donning outfits inspired by Mescal, including his usual style of short Gaelic football shorts, a jacket or sweater and wired earbuds.
25-year-old Jack Wall O’Reilly won the contest after matching the actor’s fashion and mannerisms, even imitating the way Mescal stands, Metro UK reported, and he recited lines from Mescal’s role in the series “Normal People.”
Mescal has become known online for his tendency to wear short shorts made by the Irish athletic wear company O’Neills, and the Irish Independent reported representatives from the brand were at the event and would give the best lookalike a few pairs of free shorts.
The event was promoted by @paulmescallookalike on TikTok, which garnered nearly 300,000 views on a post sharing a flyer for the competition.
Several attendees told the Irish Independent they participated because they had heard about the success of the Chalamet lookalike competition held in New York on Oct. 27.
Unlike Chalamet, Mescal didn’t show up to the event, but he is reportedly in Ireland for the Thursday night premiere of “Gladiator II,” which O’Reilly told the Irish Independent he plans to attend.
The Chalamet contest immediately sparked a wave of upcoming celebrity lookalike contests, many encouraging attendees to dress up like young male actors. The day after the Chalamet lookalike contest, flyers went up around New York for an upcoming Jeremy Allen White lookalike contest, in which the attendee who most resembles the Emmy-winning star of “The Bear” will receive two packs of cigarettes and a 7-day Metro Card for the subway. The White contest is slated to take place Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. in Washington Square Park, the same location as the Chalamet competition. Later that day, a Zayn Malik lookalike contest will take place at Maria Hernandez Park in Brooklyn. The Malik contest was organized by Instagram user @qhio.anon, and the grand prize is a free tattoo from user @hel.heart. The organizers set up an online invitation for the Malik contest on Partiful, an event planning app, and 342 people have marked themselves as “going.” A Dev Patel lookalike contest is planned for Nov. 10 in San Francisco, NBC Los Angeles reported. The organizers told NBC they drew inspiration from the Chalamet contest and said they want to celebrate the diversity of the San Francisco community. The grand prize is $50 and a statue of “Monkey Man,” the action film Patel starred in earlier this year. British journalist Katrina Mirpuri, who works for the London Evening Standard, organized a Harry Styles lookalike contest, set to be held Saturday in London’s Soho Square. The contest will offer undisclosed prizes for the three best lookalikes, as well as a prize for the worst entrant.
The viral Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest took place on Oct. 27 in New York’s Washington Square Park, which drew hundreds of attendees and dozens of people dressed up as Chalamet’s best-known film roles, including Willy Wonka and his “Dune” character. 21-year-old Miles Mitchell, who dressed as Wonka, won the $50 grand prize. The event was organized by YouTuber Anthony Po, who has pulled other viral stunts, like attracting hundreds of New Yorkers to watch him eat a jar of cheeseballs in April. The real Chalamet surprised by showing up, taking pictures with some of the lookalikes and greeting attendees. But the event became chaotic as police moved to break it up, reportedly taking four people into custody. One contestant, Matt Mannix, told Teen Vogue he was detained for more than an hour by New York police and was released with a court summons on four charges: two charges for failure to comply with directions from park staff, police officers, or park signs; one for disorderly conduct; and another for trespassing. The organizers were fined $500—10 times the grand prize money—for holding an “unpermitted costume contest.”
‘You look really well’: ‘Earbuds Paul’ crowned winner of Paul Mescal lookalike contest – with top prize of €20 (Irish Independent)
Timothée Chalamet crashes his own look-alike contest after police shut down crowded event (Associated Press)
Arrested Timothée Chalamet Lookalike Matt Mannix Doesn’t Know ‘What the Hell’ to Think About All This (Teen Vogue)