Paul Mescal lookalike contest takes place in Dublin just moments before ‘Gladiator II’ premiere

A Paul Mescal lookalike competition took place in Dublin today (November 7), with seven men competing for a modest prize.

The contestants – one of which didn't intend to join the event, but was just on his way to work – descended on Smithfield Square while sporting similar haircuts to the actor and wearing unseasonably short shorts.

The contest took place on the cobblestones outside the Lighthouse cinema, where Mescal himself, just hours later, appeared for the Irish premiere of Gladiator II . The competition promised the winner the choice of a €20 cheque or three pints of beer.

"I'm working at the moment so 20 quid or a few pints would go a long way to get through the day," he told Metro .

In addition to Mescal's trademark hairstyle and short shorts, O'Reilly also mimicked the Normal People star with some mid-length white socks and trainers, along with a devil-may-care washed-out hoodie.

The contest comes just a couple of weeks after Timothée Chalamet surprised fans by crashing his own lookalike competition in New York City.

As noted by on Instagram, the actor sneaked into the middle of the group of assembled Chalamet lookalikes, before eventually revealing his identity.

According to , nearly 900 people had responded to the invite to the competition, with several uploading photographs of their own supposed likeness to the 28-year-old actor. Chalamet, however, was not eligible to win the $50,000 (£39,000) cash prize and trophy, which went to 21-year-old Miles Mitchell.

Chalamet is set to play Bob Dylan in the upcoming biopic , which will chart the musician's controversial switch from acoustic to electric guitar in the mid-'60s. You can watch the trailer here .

As for Mescal, Gladiator II will be released in cinemas across the UK and Ireland on November 15.