Pedro Pascal Look-Alike Contest Crowns a Winner in NYC
A Pedro Pascal look-alike contest in New York City over the weekend ended in triumph for a Brooklyn man who is the spitting image of the "Mandalorian" and "The Last of Us" star.
The contest took place on June 15 — which was also Father's Day — and the man who took the prize was George Gountas of Brooklyn, Deadline reported.
Gountas "was dragged to the contest by his wife Jenny Gania," but his participation paid off in the form of "$50 and a year's supply of burritos courtesy of host Son Del North Mexican restaurant," the writeup said.
The prize was a response to a comment Pascal made a couple of years ago, the co-owner of Son Del North Annisha Garcia (who is also the chef) told the outlet; Pascal declared "that there is no good Mexican food in the city," Deadline recalled.
"And we were like, 'There is, and we are here,'" Garcia recalled to Deadline.
The contest's Fathers' Day connection was no coincidence, either, Gania said. Relating that the resemblance to Pascal was something that came up as early as the actor's "Game of Thrones" appearances, Gania went on to relate that when she found out about the look-alike competition, "I was like, 'It's Father's Day. You have to go. It's going to be your Father's Day treat.'"
Look-alike contests have become something of a rage in the U.S. and abroad, with everyone from Timothée Chalamet to Jeremy Allen White having the honor of a contest searching out someone who resembles them. (Famously, Chalamet went to his own look-alike contest... and didn't win.)
In the UK, Paul Mescal and Harry Styles were the subjects of look-alike competitions.
In the case of Gountas and Pascal, Deadline noted, there was more than looks in terms of similarities between the men. Like the famed "Gladiator II" star, Gountas is in showbiz — though behind the scenes; "he is the lighting designer for 'The Daily Show,'" the report explained.
Reluctant as he might have been at first, Gountas proved a crowd pleaser when he hopped up to acknowledge the win and the applause of the crowd. As at ease as a natural showman, Gountas smiled, waved, and held aloft a placard reading "Pedro #5" — evidently his designation amongst the competitors.