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Summary

A Viral Tweet Compared Montreal To Timothée Chalamet & People Have Opinions

It sparked a big debate about our city's (human) identity.
Senior Writer

We've all been asked the question: "Which actor would play you in a movie?" A viral tweet is now raising the same question about our very own city of Montreal... and, naturally, people have opinions. According to @Sergetacular, "Timothee Chalamet looks like if Montreal was a person." 

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Since he posted it on September 10, @Sergetacular's tweet has garnered 70,900 likes and 7,000 retweets as well as over 200 comments discussing whether Timothée Chalamet was the right choice for the "role" — and, if so, what that means for Montreal. 

For those who haven't heard of him, Timothée Chalamet is an American actor who's best known for his performance as Elio in the Oscar-winning film, Call Me by Your Name.

He's 24-years-old and from New York though — in true Montreal fashion — he's fluent in both French and English because his father is from France. 

He's also spoken publicly about spending time in la belle province, telling James Cordon that he once hopped on a 12-hour train ride from New York to Montreal to see a Kid Cudi concert, which inspired him "to be an artist in a lot of ways."

But Chalamet's connection to Montreal has nothing to do with the reason behind @Sergetacular's tweet.

"Me and my friends were just talking about the Dune trailer and that thought popped into my head," @Sergetacular told MTL Blog via Twitter.

"Our consensus was that he looks like every single person we know that went to McGill . . . So many people are overthinking it, but also [we] are not sure if it’s a compliment or a slight. Because in my head it’s just an abstract visual thing."

@Sergetacular, a Toronto-based designer, said he's found the reactions both "funny" and "interesting." 

Some people used the comparison as an opportunity to vent their frustrations about the city or poke fun at it.

Others offered alternative suggestions for who the human embodiment of Montreal should be.

It also got people thinking about the personification of different Canadian cities, such as Toronto or Vancouver.

Some people even said they're keener now on visiting Montreal than they were before, or gained a newfound appreciation for the 514.

So many of the other replies range from total agreement to total disagreement to sheer and utter confusion. 

The same is true in the comments section on the @fucknomtl Instagram account which reposted the tweet.

This is clearly a very polarizing topic, and there isn't one right answer. But it sure is fun to try and find one.

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    • Editor

      Ilana Belfer (she/her) was an editor for MTL Blog. She's obsessed with great storytelling in all its forms having worked in print, radio, television, theatre, and digital media over the past decade. A graduate of Carleton University’s journalism program, her words have appeared in The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, The Kit, VICE, Salon, Foodism TO & more — covering everything from cam girls to COVID-19. Ilana can usually be found with her dog André, tracking down Montreal’s prettiest ruelles vertes and tastiest treats.

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