Timothée Chalamet stuns contestants at viral look-alike event with surprise appearance

More than 2,000 attendees gathered in New York City to watch contestants be judged for their physical likeness to the ‘Willy Wonka’ star

Timotheé Chalamet sent fans into a frenzy when he unexpectedly showed up at a look-alike contest in New York City on Sunday (October 27).

In footage of the moment shared on X, the Call Me By Your Name star, 28, can be seen walking up to a few of the contestants to take a photo, causing the entire crowd to erupt into excited shrieks.

The event, which was held just in time for Halloween, saw more than 2,000 attendees gather at Washington Square Park to watch approximately 30 people dressed in their best Chalamet attire compete for a $50 cash prize. Some even dressed in costume as some of Chalamet’s most iconic movie characters like Willy Wonka.

Miles Mitchell, who was dressed like Chalamet’s titular chocolatier from the 2023 movie musical Wonka, was ultimately crowned the winner.

The contest, hosted by YouTuber Anthony Po, was later moved to Mercer Park after law enforcement intervened and dispersed the gathering.

Speaking to The Independent at the scene, Po shared that he received a $500 fine from the authorities because he didn’t have the proper permit to host an event that large at the Lower Manhattan park.

A police spokesperson told NBC New York that at least one person was detained and issued summonses.

Timothée Chalamet made a surprise appearance at a New York City look-alike event (Brittany Miller for The Independent)

Earlier this week, mysterious posters popped up around the city calling for Chalamet dopplegängers to convene at the Washington Square Park arch on Sunday.

Chalamet himself has been spotted filming around the city for his forthcoming Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, directed by James Mangold.

Set in the early 1960s, the musical drama is based on Elijah Wald’s 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric! about the controversy surrounding Dylan’s switch to electrically amplified instrumentation in 1965.

The movie also stars Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo, an early fictional love interest roughly based on Dylan’s early girlfriend Suze Rotolo Russo, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, Edward Norton as Pete Seeger and Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash.

Chalamet’s casting as Dylan was first announced in 2020. At the time, it was reported that the Dune actor was taking guitar lessons in preparation for the role, with Mangold also confirming that Chalamet will do his own singing in the film.

A Complete Unknown will be out in theaters on December 25.

Chalamet is also set to star opposite Gwyneth Paltrow in Josh Safdie’s new movie, Marty Supreme. The two leads were seen locking lips while filming a steamy scene in New York a few weeks ago.