Nick Anderson was once stopped by someone in Boston’s Theater District and told to “pull up your Snapchat right now and tell me you’re not Spider-Man.”
This is a regular occurrence for Anderson, 26, a software company chief of staff from Melrose, who said strangers approach him on the street “organically” and tell him he looks like British actor Tom Holland. Anderson was named the winner of a Tom Holland look-alike contest this afternoon, affirming his resemblance.
“It feels like the stars have aligned as far as my likeness and it being in Boston, and me being from here,” Anderson said.
The contest, which was held at the Parkman Bandstand in the Boston Common, is the latest in a string of public celebrity look-alike contests held in major cities over the last few weeks.
After look-alike contests centered around celebrities such as Timothée Chalamet in New York, Jeremy Allen White in Chicago and Harry Styles in London drew in hundreds of spectators, Katherine Gehring decided Holland, who was spotted around Boston the past few weeks, was the perfect muse for Boston’s turn at the trend.
“He’s just a nerdy, lovable sweetheart and I think he deserves more credit,” said Gehring, who works at Improv Asylum in the North End. “I also just knew that ‘The Drama’ was shooting here with Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, and so for me, Tom was the obvious choice.”
Gehring enlisted her friend, 22-year-old robotics engineer Dilce Oliveira, to co-host the contest. On Monday, the two began posting about the event online and asking friends to help put up posters around the city, especially near college campuses.
“Boston is such a cool place,” Oliveira said. “And I saw people liked it in New York, and I was like, ‘Boston’s like New York but better.’”
Sarah Lindsay, a 24-year-old teacher, said this wave of look-alike contests is “a very niche moment in pop culture” history that she enjoyed being part of.
“Imagine telling our grandchildren about this,” Lindsay said. “They’re gonna be so confused, and it’s so weird, but so great.”
More than 100 attendees gathered around the gazebo to watch “the Toms” compete. Contestants answered Spider-Man trivia questions, attempted their best Holland impressions and performed the actor’s famous “Lip Sync Battle” dance to Rihanna’s “Umbrella.”
Vishakh Talanki, a 23-year-old engineer who graduated from Northeastern University, currently lives in San Francisco but came back to Boston to witness the contest.
“I flew out here to make sure I can make this event,” Talanki said. “It just seemed like so much fun, and I convinced my friends to come with me.”
In the end, Anderson was crowned the winner by a crowd cheer and received the $50 cash prize and an assortment of British candy.
“He genuinely looks like him,” said Nisitaa Clement, a 24-year-old data scientist. “I do see the resemblance.”
Yuni Jimenez, a 22-year-old research assistant and a fan of Holland, said Anderson is “100% deserving” of the win.
Holland was recently spotted around Boston with his girlfriend Zendaya, which spurred hope he might make an appearance at the competition.
“I had blind hope and a delusion that perhaps he would show up,” said Kaylee Ellis, 22, an administrative coordinator at Boston University.
Michael Carroll, a senior at Boston College High School, was crowned the runner-up of the competition. He said he originally attended because he thought Holland might show up, and his friends convinced him to compete.
“It was just fun seeing the energy of the crowd and just being with other people who also love Tom Holland,” Carroll said.
Carroll said his favorite part of the contest was the “Umbrella” dance portion. Despite his nerves, he “got into it” and did a cartwheel onstage to the crowd’s amusement.
Oliveira said she had fun co-hosting the competition and was “really excited to meet all of the Toms.”
“For them to get up and do that for the entertainment of a bunch of strangers, I think it’s, A, a measurement of good character, and, B, a really good story,” Oliveira said.
With the success of this competition, many hope to see more look-alike competitions in Boston.
“We definitely need to do more of this in the city, this was super fun,” said Clement, who added she hopes the next look-alike contests center around actors Andrew Garfield or Robert Pattinson.
Oliveira said she wasn’t expecting so many people to show up, but she hopes everyone involved had fun.
“I really hope that the Toms enjoyed themselves,” Oliveira said. “It takes a lot of bravery to get up on stage and let people poke fun at you and to dance and do all those things, and I hope they’re proud of themselves.”
