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On the Thursday before Thanksgiving break, Syracuse University sophomore Valentino Indelicato had spent the week stressing about final assignments. Then, he saw Druski post a Coulda Been Records audition call with Timothée Chalamet. That night, Valentino drove four hours to Brooklyn for a chance to perform for the comedian and actor.

“Just the moment I saw it, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is the thing for me,’” Valentino said.

Valentino has been mistaken for Chalamet for years; people often approach him to ask if he is the actor. Last October, Valentino had had enough of the lookalike comments and shaved his head to change up his look. A week later, Chalamet debuted his own buzzcut.

Since then, Valentino has embraced the resemblance. Druski’s video, where Valentino makes a one-minute appearance, now has 9.4 million views. It’s like any of Druski’s other videos for Coulda Been Records, his satirical record label. On the show, people audition to be “signed” by Druski, showcasing various talents, from singing to stand-up comedy.

Valentino went in solely with the talent of being Chalamet’s doppelganger, making jokes tailored to the “Marty Supreme” marketing run. On the car ride there, he studied Chalamet’s recent interviews and bits.

“I’m not even the biggest fan of the guy, but I was just like, ‘I need to know anything about him,’” he said.

When Valentino first saw Druski’s post, he called his sister, Bianca Indelicato, who told him he couldn’t pass up on the opportunity. Being somewhat familiar with Druski’s audience, Bianca thought Valentino’s approach to being a Chalamet lookalike would be distinctive — she was 80% sure his audition would be successful.

Some of Valentino’s close friends, like SU senior Yonni Mathis, were a little more skeptical. When Valentino told Mathis he was going, she was not a fan of him dropping everything for it. But she’s glad he didn’t listen to her and that it worked out in his favor.

“I was like, ‘Don’t we got school tomorrow?’” Mathis said.

Valentino made it to Brooklyn around 3 a.m. the day of the audition. After a short night’s rest, Valentino waited in line with hundreds of other auditioners from 1:30 p.m., the day of, and made it to the doors around 5 p.m.

Because he wasn’t dancing or singing, Valentino was put in the “others” group. Managers picked only 10 people from each talent group, so Valentino called out to one he saw standing around a corner — who he later discovered was Druski’s personal manager.

“I literally go up to him, and I’m talking to him like, ‘Dude, I’m lil’ Timmy Tim, I keep it schwep,’ I’m literally going crazy at this guy, screaming to his face,” Valentino said.

The manager took a photo of just Valentino. Then five minutes later, he moved Valentino to the front of the line for a test interview with Druski. In that first interview, Valentino had complete tunnel vision, keeping up the Chalamet bit.

Valentino’s doppelganger bit allowed him to progress to the next waiting room where he was accompanied by other talents and influencers. From there, Valentino waited four more hours until he, among eight others, was selected to do an interview with Chalamet and Druski.

Throughout the whole day, nobody could have a phone, so Valentino’s friends and family had no updates on how it was going. But this gave him the chance to connect with the other auditioners and talk to influencers he’d looked up to before.

“Everyone in that room just felt so equal in the moment, wanting to talk to each other, get to know each other’s stories,” Valentino said.

Once he was mic’d up and about to face Druski and Chalamet together, the nerves kicked in, he said. Right before his turn, he even went to the bathroom to splash water on his face.

“When the doors opened, I was probably practically shaking, but I walked into those doors, and was like, ‘Alright, go time,’” Valentino said.

In the YouTube video, less than a minute of Valentino’s audition is shown, but he was in the room for around five minutes. Valentino joked with Chalamet about being long lost brothers, told them he wants to be on Broadway (he doesn’t) and said he knew how to rap. He regretted that, as it prompted Valentino to perform four lines of a SoundCloud song he made at age 12 — he was then kicked out by Druski and Chalamet.

Everyone who made it to the final audition with Druski and Chalamet was filmed for content, but they weren’t told if they’d make the final posted YouTube video. Valentino left the audition amped up, and though he couldn’t be sure, he had a feeling he’d be included in the final video cut.

Running around the streets of Brooklyn, Valentino returned to his phone and FaceTimed Bianca, freaking out about the interaction, he said. The next morning, Valentino stayed in New York City and attended the “Marty Supreme” merch popup to keep up the energy, he said.

The day after auditioning for a feature on a Coulda Been Records video with Druski and Timothée Chalamet, Valentino Indelicato attended the “Marty Supreme” merch popup, where Chalamet recognized and greeted him. Valentino didn’t know then that his audition would be featured in the Coulda Been Records YouTube video. Courtesy of Valentino Indelicato

Chalamet arrived at the popup in full “Marty Supreme” mode, not breaking character. But when he spotted Valentino, he did a double take, pointing him out, saying “my guy, my twin.”

For Valentino, his weekend in Brooklyn was more than just auditioning for Druski and Chalamet, he said.

With the influencer connections he made at the audition and popup, Valentino secured further opportunities to create content. A few weeks ago, he went back to New York City to film a video with streamer Tamir Omari, where he acted as Chalamet again.

“Right now, I take every opportunity that comes my way, like I need to do as much as possible,” Valentino said.

Networking at the event is a testament to Valentino’s personality, Bianca said. He’s always been an outgoing person who’s eager to learn about everything and everybody, Bianca said. Mathis said his spontaneous nature is another reason he was successful at the audition.

While his virality stemmed from being a Chalamet lookalike, going forward Valentino strives to make content that reflects his own interests, from skateboarding to modeling.

Valentino said watching other content creators and being plugged into social media trends is an advantage, as he has a grasp on what people want to see. Part of why Valentino auditioned for Druski was his familiarity with Coulda Been Records.

“There’s content that people are really making right now that works, and whether it’s Timothée Chalamet related or not, I gotta learn off these people,” Valentino said.

However, above all else, Valentino is still a student, and education is his number one priority, he said. As a double major in physics and astronomy, he said school can be overwhelming, but having a degree is “instant security” for the future.

Having grown up in Syracuse to now being a student at SU, Valentino credits the city and the campus community as an inspiration to him.
“What I loved seeing most of when I first joined (SU) was that there were a lot of people here that genuinely wanted to do something for themselves,” Valentino said.
As his older sister, Bianca has been a constant supporter and influence in Valentino’s life. Bianca, who’s an SU alum and founded Keep Going Market, has prior experience in navigating content creation and social media. She reminds Valentino to stay authentic and take on the right opportunities, as he’ll always have people in his corner.

“Just post it, create it, like, whatever, because there’s going to be a community that backs you regardless,” Bianca said.

Now, nearly a month after the video’s release, Valentino has experienced more eyes on him than ever before, he said. He stays grounded through the support from his friends and family and the mindset that negative thoughts should never enter his consciousness.
“At the end of the day, it’s all fun and games,” Valentino said. “Who cares what people think?”

Published on January 14, 2026 at 9:56 pm
Contact Claire: cmzhang@syr.edu