If you've ever dreamt of finding yourself thrust into a sea of floppy-haired, lanky, perhaps slightly awkward (but in an endearing way) men, you're in luck. Melbourne is reviving celebrity lookalike contest culture, hosting its very own search for the best Josh O'Connor doppelgänger.
The event in question will take place on December 13 in Fitzroy's Edinburgh Gardens, with posters plastered across the city this week encouraging attendance. There's also a cash prize up for grabs, with the person deemed most Josh O'Connor-y to be awarded $500.
So far, Australians have been forced to watch on as the rest of the world partook in celebrity lookalike contests with varying success, so it feels fitting that we're getting a go now. It all started back in New York in late 2024, when a chaotic Timothée Chalamet look-alike competition unexpectedly became a cultural moment — encouraging not only hundreds of Chalamet-coded participants, but an appearance from the man himself.
We've since seen searches for just about every internet boyfriend, from Paul Mescal in Dublin, to Harry Styles in London. More recently, a Jacob Elordi competition in Melbourne famously failed to attract a single actual contestant. As well-documented fans of O'Connor, obviously we have high hopes that next weekend's competition will be a little more fruitful. After all, the O’Connor template is surprisingly achievable. Tousled hair? Easy. A cosy knit and perhaps a long coat? Already in your wardrobe. A mischievous smirk and an air of endearing self-consciousness? That’s half the population of inner-north Melbourne.
For those hoping the competition will encourage a surprise appearance from O'Connor, we're less than optimistic. He's currently in the depths of promotion for his latest film, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, so a quick trip across the world seems like a stretch. It's also highly likely that O'Connor doesn't actually know this is happening – and almost certainly wouldn't know how to react if he found out...
When and where is the Josh O'Connor lookalike contest?
For those wishing to participate, or simply observe, the event details are as follows:
- Saturday December 13, from 2pm - 4pm at the Edinburgh Gardens Rotunda
Feature image: @Jonathan.anderson, and X.
