Arrest at Timothée Chalamet Look-alike Contest Explained- Why Was The Event Organiser Fined $500?
- Timothée Chalamet attended his look-alike even in the Washington Square Park in NYC.
- Organiser of the event Anthony Po was fined $500 for hosting an event without permission.
- Chalamet's A Complete Unknown releases in December.
American-French actor Timothée Chalamet rose to fame when he appeared as Elio Perlman in Call Me by Your Name opposite Armie Hammer. His performance in the movie with his good boy charms impressed the critics as well as the audience. He earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance. The actor is regarded as one of the best of his generation.
Chalamet starred alongside Zendaya in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune series as Paul Atreides and has managed to reach an even wider audience. Villeneuve noted that Chalamet was his only choice for Paul Atreides’ character, and he does it well. Being one of the most popular and successful actors in the industry, Chalamet is a very private person. A recent event where the actor showed up unannounced clearly shows that he is one of the most admired actors. But things can still turn into chaos.
Timothée Chalamet look-alike event organizer fined $500
Washington Square Park is one of the hot spots for New York University students who usually take a stroll to smoke a cigarette, read books, or just hang out with friends between classes. However, YouTuber Anthony Po used this to his advantage when it was made public knowledge that a Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest would be held on Sunday.
The prize for the winner was $50, and according to the virtual invitation, over 2,500 people had RSVP’ed by saying that they planned to attend the event. People dressed up as Chalamet’s character started to show up along people who gathered to watch the contest.
The Independent spoke to YouTuber Anthony Po, who was the organizer of the event. He shared,
We didn’t do anything wrong; it’s just a lot of people. And we hung up 50 posters; we had nothing to do with marketing it. It is the way of culture. And this is the price of culture.
According to USA Today, Po had been fined $500 from the New York Police Department. The publication noted that the NYPD confirmed responding to an unscheduled demonstration in Washington Square Park, and 4 people [Chalamet lookalikes] were arrested. They were released with a summons.
The group found a backup location and went to a park nearby where the lookalikes were interviewed. 21-year-old Miles Mitchell, who dressed up as Willy Wonka, won the contest and the $50 prize money.
Real Timothée Chalamet showed up at the lookalike event
One of the reasons why people admire Chalamet is because of his endearing nature, which a lot of people witnessed when he showed up at Washington Square Park. The actor swiftly snuck his way through the packed mob, hiding behind a black mask and baseball hat, before sneaking up on two doppelgängers posing for pictures.
An X user commented that they don’t know what’s crazier—the fact that the real Chalamet showed up at the Timothée Chalamet look-alike contest or the fact that a fake Timothée was getting arrested at the same event. Paige Nguyen, producer for YouTuber Anthony Po, shared with AP that the entire thing started as a silly joke, and now it’s turned into chaos.
The look-alike contest does create a lot of buzz for Chalamet’s upcoming movie A Complete Unknown, in which he plays Bob Dylan. In a featurette released, the actor can be heard performing live guitar, vocals, and harmonica for his performances in the movie. Timothée Chalamet said that it was important for him to play the guitar and sing on set because it was in the spirit of the movie, to do it live.
A Complete Unknown recounts the life of 19-year-old Bob Dylan from Minnesota, arriving in the West Village with his guitar and talent destined to change the course of American music. The movie is scheduled for release on December 25, 2024.
