Timothée Chalamet’s “Agony and Ecstasy” Lookalike Competition

About 15 minutes earlier, an informal event advertised as a “Timothée Chalamet look-alike contest” had turned into a curious pandemonium. We arrived just before 1:00 p.m., the start time posted on flyerspromising a $50 cash prize, which appeared all over the city in late September – in front of already rowdy crowds of spectators. (These posters, as well as Partyful’s public event, have gone viral thanks to thousands of retweets, various local and global news reports, and even an exclusive “human interest” harbinger posted by New York Post. There was even photo of Chalamet himself on his mobile phone walking past one of the posters while he was filming Josh Safdie’s upcoming project. Marty Supreme in Lower Manhattan.)

On this sunny Sunday afternoon, everyone gathered here in Washington Square Park, the aorta of New York University’s campus, to admire the many beautiful people—mostly young men with mops of dark curls, aquiline noses and high cheekbones—who had come to compete. Although the entire event had little to do with structure, its 23-year-old organizer, a popular stunt-loving YouTuber named Anthony Poe (though sometimes called “Gilbert”), had provided the usual contest ephemera—a six-foot-tall glitter trophy, a huge $50 check made out to “Top Tim,” and a briefcase full of fun Halloween candy.