Two weeks ago, a mobbed competition to find a Timothée Chalamet lookalike in New York led to one arrest, a $500 fine for an “unpermitted costume contest” and a surprise appearance by the real-life Chalamet, fuelling further chaos.
But a similar event in Dublin on Thursday, this time to find a doppelganger for Paul Mescal, the star of Normal People and the upcoming Gladiator II, unfolded rather more sedately.
Many of the contestants only signed up on the day, but the winner had put in a little more effort, dressing in the star’s signature look of earphones, a hoodie and white sports shorts.
Jack Wall O’Reilly – dubbed “earbuds Paul” – was the clear favourite of the six contestants. His recital of a line of dialogue from Normal People (“You look really well”) won enthusiastic applause from the crowd, the warmth of whose response determined the winner.
“I’m very proud, it’s been a good buzz,” Wall O’Reilly told the Irish Independent, crediting his victory to having won “the genetic Paul Mescal lottery”.
He was presented with a giant cheque made out for €20 “or three pints” – although it was unclear how the latter would be cashed. Although the cheque was branded with the Lidl logo, the competition has no official association with the supermarket.
“I think there’s a Paul Mescal in all of us,” said Wall O’Reilly on the podium.
He also credited the resurgent interest in such events to the geopolitical climate, saying: “I think it’s good to have events like these as people are having a rough time. I don’t think anyone would have given the Timothée Chalamet one airtime if we weren’t all a bit miserable.”
A Harry Styles lookalike competition, also inspired by the Chalamet event, is set to take place in Soho Square in London on 9 November.
Wall O’Reilly is unemployed and said he was likely to spend the winnings on groceries. He will also receive Gaelic Athletic Association shorts donated by the sportswear company O’Neills.
The competition was held in Smithfield Square, near the Light House cinema where the premiere of Mescal’s first blockbuster, Gladiator II, was scheduled to take place later that evening. The actor himself did not put in an appearance at the afternoon’s event.
Wall O’Reilly told the Irish Independent he was conscious Mescal likely had a busy schedule, but would “love to sit down and have a coffee or a pint with him”.
One contestant, 25-year-old Liam Furness – “casual Paul” – said he had seen flyers for the competition while having a coffee earlier in the week, and was prompted to enter after recalling flattering comparisons between himself and Mescal from family members. Both he and “tall Paul” also chose lines from Mescal’s breakthrough TV series to quote on stage.
Meanwhile another entrant (“Gurriers Paul”) quoted from Mescal’s Bafta acceptance speech for Normal People – “I’m so nervous and I’m so anxious and I want to thank my mam and thank you everybody” – while a sixth (“tall Paul”) chose a line from an advert Mescal made for Denny’s sausages.
None appear to have opted for dialogue from Aftersun, the elegiac drama for which Mescal was Oscar-nominated in 2022, or from All of Us Strangers, the grief-filled ghost story in which he featured last year.
Marcus O’Laoire, one of the organisers of the event, said Mescal “represents Ireland so well. It’s not just potatoes and pints, it’s also short shorts and strength.”
Ridley Scott’s follow-up to his 2000 hit starring Russell Crowe is Mescal’s highest-profile film yet. Co-starring Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington, it opens in the UK and Ireland on 15 November.
Mescal’s is also due to star in Hamnet, Chloé Zhao’s adaptation of the Maggie O’Farrell novel, in which he plays William Shakespeare opposite 7, and The History of Sound, a romance set during the first world war, with Josh O’Connor.