Why Timothée Chalamet Crashed His Own Lookalike Contest

Timothée Chalamet surprised fans in late October when he showed up at an event in New York City where people were competing to see who looked most like him.

Hundreds of people attended the Oct. 27 event in Washington Square Park, many of whom dressed as various characters that the Oscar-nominated actor has played over the course of his career. Though event organizers were ultimately fined for what police called an “unpermitted costume contest,” Chalamet appeared to get a kick out of the event and the people who participated.

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The Call Me by Your Name star was asked about his decision to crash the event during a recent conversation with The Hollywood Reporter that was published on Friday, Dec. 13. The interview, which centered around the 28-year-old actor’s latest role portraying Bob Dylan in the new biopic A Complete Unknown, also featured commentary from director James Mangold and Chalamet’s co-stars, Elle Fanning and Monica Barbaro.

"I wanted to see who had the goods,” Chalamet said simply of his unexpected appearance at the October lookalike contest. The Lady Bird actor then linked the move to Dylan’s approach to being in the public eye, explaining, "The way Dylan played with his fame is so counterintuitive, especially in 2024.”

Chalamet cited an article from the early 1960s in which Dylan “made up a backstory about being from New Mexico.” After the article was published, “He sort of never gave a straightforward interview ever again,” the Little Women actor said, adding, “The way he conducted himself in relation to fame blows my mind.”

When asked whether he felt admiration for Dylan’s approach to fame, Chalamet answered in the affirmative. “Not in the sense of some vain idea of playing with people’s heads,” he clarified. “It’s more the gumption.”

In addition to crashing the lookalike contest at Washington Square Park, Chalamet also later got an opportunity to meet the person who won. In video footage that Pop Crave shared on X, formerly Twitter, Chalamet was seen shaking hands with a person and complimenting their hairstyle before asking, “What place did you come in?” Once he learned the answer, he exclaimed, “Oh, sh--!" and pulled the winner in for a hug.

Next: Timothée Chalamet Looks Unrecognizable At Bob Dylan Biopic Premiere: 'What's Going On Here?'