A crowd of more than 200 college-aged spectators gathered in Boston Common Sunday afternoon for a Tom Holland lookalike contest, the latest in a series of viral celebrity lookalike contests held worldwide.
The event drew ten contestants, three of whom competed as a group, who all hoped their resemblance to the “Spiderman” actor would win them $50 and a bag of British candy. The organizers of the contest, Katherine Gehring and Dilce Oliveira, tested participants on their Spiderman knowledge, Tom Holland impression, dance skills (a reference to Holland’s famous 2017 “Umbrella” performance on Lip Sync Battle) and Spiderman pose before choosing a winner based on the volume of cheers from the crowd.
Ultimately, the honor was awarded to Nick Anderson, a 26-year-old software company executive who out-dressed his competitors in a suit and tie. Anderson, who was raised just outside of Boston in Melrose, said in his acceptance speech that he’s been compared to the actor since high school.
“When I tell you actually someone comes up to me organically once every four to six weeks and says, ‘Hey, you look like Tom Holland,’ I wish I was lying,” he said.
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He also made sure to let onlookers know that he was single, prompting screams and cheers from the audience.
Organizers Gehring and Oliveira both expressed surprise that the contest attracted such a large crowd. Gehring was not able to put up posters advertising the event due to rain the past few days, and Oliveira brought a pie thinking that the attendees would be limited to a few close friends. Gehring said she got the word out by messaging Boston news organizations’ social media accounts like @OnlyinBOS.
Though other celebrities, such as Timothée Chalamet, have made appearances at their lookalike contests, the real Tom Holland was not in attendance on Sunday. Gehring said she decided on Holland as the subject of the contest after seeing on social media that the “Tomdaya” couple is in town while Zendaya films her new movie “The Drama,” but she said she understood why he didn’t show.
“Also, men in Boston are on the shorter side, and short kings need to be celebrated,” she said.
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Oliveira, who recently moved back to Boston after attending college in Worcester, said she was excited to have met new friends through the event.
“In Boston, a lot of people have this idea that it’s a little boring, but I think Boston has a sense of liveliness that can only be experienced in live community,” she said. “I think a lot of people should get out and not be afraid to make a lot of noise in a public space, and maybe you’ll make friends. That’s why I wanted to do this.”
“Get off your phones and you might meet the short king, love of your life,” added Gehring.
