On Sunday, Oct. 27, media personnel and on-lookers flooded New York City’s Washington Square Park for the first-ever Timothee Chalamet Look-Alike contest.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Anthony Po, a YouTuber known for his stunts, organized the competition. He had flyers posted around New York and sent out a Partiful—an app designed to plan social events—invite, which drew in a large crowd.
Po dressed up in a top hat and tuxedo. He asked the contestants questions, ranging on topics from Kylie Jenner to proficiency in the French language. To the winner, Po gave out a trophy, which was worth $250, and a $50 check, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The winner of the contest, Miles Mitchell, is one of Seton Hall’s very own. Without the costume, he is a senior marketing and economics major with a passion for traveling.
When it came to the Timothee Chalamet Look-Alike contest, Mitchell said he didn’t know it existed, but when his friends started sending him flyers posted around Manhattan, he decided to participate.
“I was like, okay, why not?” Mitchell said. “I’m not doing anything today.”
The day before the competition, Mitchell said he went to Goodwill to find a costume. He thought he would cosplay as Chalamet’s Willy Wonka character, from the “Wonka” movie.
“I just thought it would be funny,” Mitchell said.
Although Mitchell thought the contest was funny, he said that it was pretty overwhelming, as he didn’t expect that many people to show up. Due to the amount of people and the press combined, the police shut down the contest. It was moved to another nearby park.
“[It was] like a great migration,” Mitchell said. “People were flocking the streets. It was actually kind of surreal.”
Although he dressed up as one of Chalamet’s famous roles, he did not get to meet Chalamet himself.
“I’m still kind of upset about that,” Mitchell said. “He missed out because why wouldn’t you want to meet your #1 look-alike? But hey, maybe he doesn’t want me to steal his spotlight.”
Even though he may be Chalamet’s look-alike, he does not consider himself a fan. He said he’s only seen one of Chalamet’s movies, “Dune: Part Two.”
“I actually don’t know anything about him,” Mitchell said. “He seems friendly. I do feel like we have some things in common—I think our personalities might be a little similar.”
With Mitchell’s newfound fame, he said that Chalamet’s successful career opened his eyes to the possibility of becoming an influencer, especially after being contacted by different brands.
The NFL invited Mitchell to a New York Jets game, in which he sat front row. He shot a TikTok ad with Shake Shack, NYX Cosmetics, and Avenue Man. SNL made a skit about the competition, which starred John Mulaney and Mitchell’s Wonka costume. On Nov. 8, Mitchell was a guest on The Drew Barrymore Show.
Mitchell said he makes school his top priority, however on top of all this recognition, he is still a student on the verge of graduating. It has been difficult juggling the new opportunities while finishing up his senior year, according to Mitchell.
“Let me just think about all this kind of content that I can make, and then at the same time, it's like, wait, let me graduate first. Let me focus on school,” Mitchell said.
Although it may be overwhelming to post content while being a full-time student, Mitchell said he doesn’t plan on stopping.
“I am going to continue to post,” Mitchell said. “I’m not going to make [looking like Chalamet] my entire personality. I’m just gonna be myself.”
Mitchell said that he doesn’t have any expectations of becoming a content creator, but he wants to see where the possibilities take him with his time in the public eye.
In the spring, Mitchell will transition into content creation around his study-abroad semester in Japan. He said he plans to live in Tokyo, after graduation, because he has a job offer there.
“I started the ball that I can choose to keep rolling,” Mitchell said.
Dominique Mercadante is the head editor for The Setonian’s Campus Life section. She can be reached at dominique.mercadante@student.shu.edu.
