"Normal people, extraordinary lookalikes"- Fans react as Paul Mescal lookalike competition crowns winner in Dublin

A Paul Mescal lookalike competition was recently organized at Smithfield Square in Dublin on November 7, 2024. Hundreds of people participated, and writer and director Jack Wall O'Reilly emerged as the winner, according to Irish Mirror.

Men and women were spotted appearing as Mescal as they participated in the competition. Paul is well-known for his work in theatre and has starred in films such as God's Creatures and All of Us Strangers.

The news comes before the release of Gladiator II, which arrives in theatres on November 22, 2024, and features Paul Mescal playing the lead character, Lucius Verus. The competition took place near the Lighthouse Cinema in Smithfield where the film's premiere was scheduled to happen. A prize of €20 or three pints was confirmed for the winner.

Apart from winning the contest, Jack was also named the Middle Aisle Mescal by the sponsor, Lidl. As per Irish Mirror, Jack addressed his happiness after winning the competition by saying that he is a fan of Mescal and continued:

"I actually, I work in TV as well and I write and direct inside. So, like, I just have a real appreciation. He's a really talented guy."

The official page of Pop Crave on X (formerly Twitter) shared a video, which featured a few glimpses of the Paul Mescal lookalike competition in Dublin. Netizens took to the comments section of the tweet to post their reactions to the competition, with one of them writing:

"Normal People, extraordinary lookalikes."

People were spotted giving hilarious responses to the video below the post.

"None of them even look like him. Im dead," another user on X wrote.

"Haha lmao that looks fun," one person said.

"Dublin's got a twin," another X user said.

Some users were seemingly dissatisfied with the contest being organized, with a few of them questioning the reason behind announcing the competition.

"Is he really famous for all that???????" a netizen wrote on X.

"Ahahha cmon. Why are those type of contest happening? I mean. I guess if its fun then lets go at it!" another person said.

"Why is this happening," another netizen questioned.

On the other hand, people were also in support of the competition as they mentioned in their reactions.

"Performance is satisfied," an X user mentioned.

"We got a new trend," another person wrote.

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Paul Mescal lookalike competition winner spoke his favorite line from the actor's TV show

Also known as Paul Colm Michael Mescal, he has two TV shows in his credits, including a miniseries, Normal People. Notably, the winner of his lookalike competition, Jack Wall O'Reilly, spoke his favorite quote from the series which says, "You look really well."

Jack said that he wants to see Paul Mescal at the premiere of Gladiator II, adding that he would like to have a cup of coffee with the actor. Speaking to the Irish Independent on November 7, Jack even addressed what he is planning to do with the prize money and said:

"I don't know. I'm not working at the moment so I might keep this in the back pocket or I'll go do a Lidl shop if they allow this big a cheque in self-checkout."

According to RTE, various Mescal look-alike people participated in the competition such as Casual Mescal, Other Journalist Mescal, Normal People Mescal, BAFTA's Paul, and more.

As mentioned, Paul Mescal will appear as one of the leads in the upcoming film, Gladiator II. Helmed by Ridley Scott, the historical drama also features other popular faces among the cast members, including Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington.