Timothée Chalamet made headlines recently when he offered to pay the fine for a lookalike contest that was interrupted by the NYPD at Washington Square Park. The contest, organized by Anthony Po, was disrupted when authorities shut it down due to a lack of a permit. Thousands of fans who had gathered to see their favorite celebrity doppelgängers were forced to leave, and Po was issued a $500 fine for the violation.
However, the incident caught the attention of the 28-year-old actor, who was participating anonymously in the contest, and his team reached out to offer their support. “They offered to pay the ticket, which is truly funny,” Po told People Magazine. Despite the generous offer, Po, 23, declined to accept the help. He explained that the fine was minor in comparison to the total cost of organizing the event. “The production cost like $4,000, so it’s like legit the best case scenario,” he said, adding that stronger measures were needed to prevent such interruptions.
Chalamet’s team also shared their appreciation for the contest, with Po revealing, “They basically [said], ‘We thought it was awesome. Thanks so much.'” Although the event faced setbacks, the mood remained lighthearted and fun.
Although Po never had the chance to meet Chalamet in person during the event, the actor was still included in the rankings of lookalikes, coming in 13th place. “I think if he would’ve stayed for the end of it, maybe I would’ve given him runner-up or something,” Po joked. Chalamet’s mustache, however, threw off his usual clean-shaven, curly-haired look, which was more common among the other contestants.
The winner of the contest, Miles Mitchell, 21, missed the opportunity to spot Chalamet amidst the chaos, but runner-up Zander Dueve, 22, did catch a glimpse of the actor. “I saw the very top of his head through the Washington Square Arch. I just saw his hat and his eyebrows, because you can’t miss those,” Dueve said.
Both Dueve and Po agreed that Chalamet, despite being the real deal, looked the least like himself compared to the other participants in the contest.
