Melbourne crowns its Jacob Elordi lookalike: ‘The only one who’s tall’
By Meg Watson
Was Melbourne too cool to join in on the global celebrity lookalikes trend? Or was it actually too hot?
Thousands rocked up to a New York contest to find a Timothée Chalamet lookalike last month – leading to arrests, fines and a cameo from the man himself – and hugely successful events centred on Harry Styles, Jeremy Allen White and more followed.
The last-minute contestants at Melbourne’s Jacob Elordi lookalike contest. Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui
But in Melbourne this Saturday, just 20 or so people (including a decent contingent of journalists) braved the 36-degree heat to watch a lookalike contest for the Australian actor Jacob Elordi outside the State Library of Victoria. Sydney also hosted its first such event on Saturday, for Heath Ledger, with at least a dozen doppelgängers singing and performing for a decent crowd.
The winner of the Melbourne event, Maxie Oliver, was pulled from the crowd to compete with two of his mates. The friendship group comprised three of the five official contestants, all of whom were roped into it on site. As official proceedings began, with plenty of giggles, there was a final callout for “all Elordis and all male-identifying people”.
“We saw the poster, and we came to see people who look like Jacob Elordi,” Oliver said before the vote, which was decided on by audience applause. “But we were the only ones here, so we are the competition.”
Maxie Oliver: “Could you make me look like Jacob Elordi? Like a Facetune?”Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui
The 22-year-old Swinburne student was a favourite from the outset of proceedings. “But only because I’m the only one who’s tall,” he said, at pains to point out he does not think he looks like the Gen-Z heart-throb and does not want to be “bullied” on the internet. (At 196 centimetres, he is actually the same height as Elordi).
“Could you make me look like Jacob Elordi [for the story]?” he added. “Like a Facetune?”
Maxie Oliver, not Facetuned.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui
Oliver fought off some very tough competition, though. A man who works at the State Library (and didn’t know anything about the contest or Elordi himself) threatened entering, but had to get back because his lunch break was over. “What’s his name again?” he asked. “I am just here for the [$50 prize] money.”
And Alicia Liang-Morgan, the 21-year-old organiser of the event, almost entered her dad – who was also in attendance.
The crowds were small, but the spirits were high.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui
“I feel like there are two bad scenarios,” she said before the event, dressed in a makeshift “I <3 Jacob Elordi” T-shirt she drew on the car ride into the city. “Either no one comes at all, or there are way too many people and I get a fine.” (Her dad had also promised to pay the fine if it came to that.)
All things considered, though, she’s happy with how it played out.
“I wanted to have a little silly event, an escape from real life. And honestly, I don’t think we could have got a better lookalike. That’s JACOB!” The pair spent some time embracing and posing for a photoshoot like he’s Elordi and she’s a crazed fan. They all suggested making a WhatsApp after.
Fellow contestant Matthew Faiz, a 19-year-old who doubted his chances in part because he is South-Asian, agrees that the best man won. “It definitely pales in comparison to the other [international events],” he said. “But the vibe is still there.”
“It’s nice to be part of a fun thing,” Oliver says. “I’m all about more free, fun things.” (He and his mates duck into the State Library after to visit the free Rennie Ellis exhibition, Melbourne Out Loud, and he has to leave his giant winner’s sign at reception with a very confused security guard).
When asked how his family will respond to his newfound celebrity, he says: “I think my mum will feel really proud about this for no reason … And I think my siblings will be really mean to me.”
Heath Ledger lookalike contestant Jude Bailey receives first place at Camperdown Memorial Rest Park.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos
In Sydney, the winner of the Heath Ledger lookalike contest was also thinking about his mum.
Jude Bailey said he chose to enter because he’s “been told [he] looks like Heath Ledger, pretty much my whole life … My mum said I had to come down. I couldn’t disappoint my mum.”
Bailey competed against some (genuinely) tough competition, with all three top placegetters bearing a striking resemblance to the late star. Contestants were judged on their appearance, singing and ability to “look moody while holding a film camera”.
“It’s just a beautiful thing to do on a Saturday – something different,” said second-place-getter Samuel Preston. He entered the competition after being sent the viral flyer by friends and co-workers.
The man who came third, Oscar, was more frank.
“I’m here to win the $51,” he said (an amount the organiser, comedian Josh Khoury, decided on to “literally one up” other competitions). “I’m kind of broke at the moment so I need the money.”
With Nadia Russell
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