Timothée Chalamet: From Childhood To Dune Part 2
Timothée Chalamet is nothing if not versatile. Just look at the wide array of character types he has played. For instance, in a single year, he portrayed both a bright-eyed Italian teenager and a cynical Californian heartbreaker. It's quite a range, and nobody has expressed this better than Chalamet himself, who told Variety, "I went from playing a disenfranchised cannibal on the outskirts of American society in the '80s to a gifted young chocolatier and now a space prophet."
How did he get from a high schooler doing impressions of Nicki Minaj to a Leading Man with a capital M? (Not that Chalamet really thinks of himself as a movie star – he considers himself "just an actor," he told Time.) Chalamet has found himself wielding an incredible amount of influence at such a young age (not unlike his "Dune" character Paul Atreides), but he wasn't always in the spotlight. Below we will trace the career of Timothée Chalamet, from his childhood to "Dune: Part Two," and shake our heads in awe.
Chalamet got plenty of acting experience in high school
Timothée Chalamet is no stranger to Hollywood, thanks to his family's long history of involvement in the entertainment industry. Chalamet can boast a screenwriter for a grandfather, a producer for an aunt, and a dancer for a mother. What's more, his sister Pauline trained to be an actress at LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts (which is where big names like Jennifer Aniston and Al Pacino also studied). Needless to say, Chalamet was in good company.
From a very young age, Chalamet knew where his passions lay, citing a certain Christopher Nolan film as a major inspiration. "I saw 'The Dark Knight' when I was 12," he told The Guardian, adding that it was a life-changing moment for him. "I [realized]: I can't not act."
Just like his sister, Chalamet studied at LaGuardia High School. Chalamet admitted that he had been expecting something different when he first enrolled. "I had an idea that it was like grid-style rows in a classroom, learning about drama," he told Deadline. Instead, it was a much more immersive experience, where Chalamet often found himself on the stage. Performing in the off-Broadway production of "Talls" at age 15 (which conveniently fell on school break so he wouldn't need to miss any classes) cemented his decision to pursue acting as a serious career path.
He's been rejected for some major roles
Much as it seems like Timothée Chalamet was an instant sensation, it was a while before his film career took off. Sure, he appeared in "Interstellar," but it was only a small part. During his most important scene, he's barely onscreen, since the camera focuses instead on Matthew McConaughey. In his interview with Time, Chalamet recalled, "I remember seeing it and weeping ... 60% because I was so moved by it, and 40% because I'd thought I was in the movie so much more than I am."
For every big movie that he landed a small role in, there were several that he missed out on. Chalamet shares that he might have been cast as Spider-Man, but he ultimately lost out to Tom Holland. He also tried to get a part in Tim Burton's "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children," with no success. He even auditioned for a part in the 2013 film "Prisoners," but it wouldn't be until much later that he would have an opportunity to work with director Denis Villeneuve. Chalamet admitted that sometimes it's hard for him to watch these movies, explaining to GQ, "I want to be in them."
Of course, Chalamet acknowledges that maybe it's better he didn't get every big-budget part he auditioned for, because it allowed him to work on smaller projects that he cared more about. "It's been gratifying, coming from more of a place of artistry and not just pure exposure," he told V magazine (via Yahoo!).
He found a perfect fit in Prodigal Son
The more Timothée Chalamet auditioned, the more experience he gained. "I used to have meetings with directors where I'd embarrassingly pitch myself the entire time," he told MTV, but since then he has trusted his abilities to speak for themselves.
Eventually, Chalamet landed a lead role in the play "Prodigal Son." Of course, it didn't come easily: he had to audition three times before he got the part. Chalamet told Broadway.com, "This is the first role I've read where I went, 'This is me.'" It's understandable why Chalamet identified with this character; both were gifted young artists given a chance to attend a prestigious school, thanks to a teacher who believed in them. "I had an acting teacher [Harry Shifman] who fought for me to be accepted when I wasn't because of poor grades and poor behavior," Chalamet shared in the same interview. "Without him, I am 1000 percent confident I wouldn't be acting."
Although he attended excellent schools, Chalamet's formal education came in fits and starts. He missed half a year of high school so he could play the Vice President's son in "Homeland." Later he attended NYU and Columbia University, only to drop out once his acting career got off the ground, which was largely thanks to one role in particular.
Call Me By Your Name was Chalamet's big break
"Call Me By Your Name" completely changed Timothée Chalamet's career (and still remains one of his best performances). Strangely enough, Chalamet never officially auditioned for the part (he did, however, do an informal reading for director Luca Guadagnino, which was a nerve-wracking experience for him). He told Collider that he was lucky, saying, "I had the belief and knowledge that Luca desired me as an actor, which is rare as a young actor."
Despite Chalamet's relative inexperience, his co-star Armie Hammer was awed by the young actor's talent. "I was asking him for advice," Hammer told Deadline. Chalamet wanted to explore a deeper layer of the notorious peach scene, so he went to great lengths to make sure it came off as sincere and believable. He also learned how to speak Italian and play piano to immerse himself in the role.
When Chalamet was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as Elio, he was thrust into the spotlight. It certainly didn't hurt that he also appeared in "Lady Bird," another Oscar candidate that got a lot of attention that year. Those two films propelled Chalamet into stardom — suddenly everybody knew his name (and how to pronounce it). Yet with this fame also came immense expectations. "This movie's getting a certain type of acclaim that ... leaves me with a sense of pressure in my head that I have to come off with a British accent or be very serious or thespian-like," he told MTV.
Beautiful Boy allowed him to challenge himself
After giving a heartbreaking performance in "Call Me By Your Name," Timothée Chalamet next took the lead role in a harrowing movie about addiction. Chalamet joked to W magazine, "My mom was worried. First there was a movie where I was having sex with the peach, and then it was like, 'I got another movie!'" It's understandable why she was worried, because "Beautiful Boy" challenged Chalamet like no other role he'd done before.
According to Chalamet, he lost 18 pounds in preparation for this movie. For research, he watched countless YouTubers share their experiences with addiction. Along the way, as Chalamet told Deadline, he overcame some misconceptions he had about addiction: "This is a human illness. Don't play the stereotype of a drug addict. Play a human who's addicted to drugs." Some scenes were so intense to shoot that Chalamet could feel the line blurring between himself and his character. "Sometimes when you act, your mind knows you're acting, but your body doesn't," he explained to W magazine.
Knowing that "Beautiful Boy" was based on the true story of Nic Sheff and that he would be bringing a real person's trauma to the big screen, Chalamet was concerned that he wouldn't do Sheff's experiences justice. Luckily, Chalamet needn't have worried. Sheff praised Chalamet's portrayal, telling Deadline, "I left that first meeting with Timmy feeling like there was no one else that could do this."
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Chalamet starred in period pieces (and got a haircut)
After "Beautiful Boy," Timothée Chalamet seemed to gravitate toward historical films. He got roles in "The King" and "Little Women," the latter of which gave him another opportunity to work with "Lady Bird" star Saoirse Ronan and director Greta Gerwig. Chalamet told Deadline that collaborating with them again was like getting back together with old friends, adding, "I think a lot of the rhythms we've had are continuations from the set of 'Lady Bird.'"
For "The King," Chalamet was reluctant at first to take on such a heavy role, not least because he knew actors of previous generations had already portrayed King Henry V with much more elegance. "I wanted to do something that felt very challenging," he told Elle, "but I couldn't see myself in it." However, once he understood director David Michôd's vision for the movie, Chalamet was on board.
The biggest change Chalamet underwent for this role was parting with his luscious locks. In order to play a period-accurate Henry V, Chalamet needed to get a monk-like bowl cut. If Chalamet had gone onto the set sporting his famous curls, it would have been way too distracting. Chalamet admits that he was initially embarrassed by his bowl cut, joking that he started wearing hats to conceal it. "At first it was anxiety-inducing," he told Variety, "but then it was like nah, this has to be done." Luckily for his adoring fans, Chalamet grew out his hair again once production for "The King" was over.
He made the jump to blockbusters with Dune
In an interview with The Philippine Daily Inquirer, Timothée Chalamet said, "I always told myself, if you do a big movie, make sure it's with a really great director." Previously, Chalamet had largely avoided big-budget tentpole films, but he was more than willing to make an exception for director Denis Villeneuve. Once he caught wind that Villeneuve was adapting "Dune," Chalamet set himself a Google news alert so he wouldn't miss a single update. His efforts paid off: Chalamet got cast in the lead role.
Villeneuve explained to Backstage why he chose Chalamet: "I needed an old soul in the body of a teenager, and he was the perfect actor to bring that." It's easy to see why Chalamet fit the role: he shared in an interview with The New York Times that he felt like he had a lot in common with Paul. After all, his meteoric rise to stardom (and the immense expectations that came with it) was an awful lot like the pressure Paul feels as the heir to the House Atreides.
Aside from his small role in "Interstellar," "Dune" marked the first time Chalamet starred in a blockbuster. Of course, Chalamet didn't forget his indie roots. The same day that "Dune" hit theaters, Chalamet also appeared in Wes Anderson's "The French Dispatch" — an independent film if we ever saw one. When you're as big a name as Timothée Chalamet, who says you can't do both?
He's promoted independent films like Bones and All
Even with the massive success of the "Dune" franchise, Timothée Chalamet hasn't stopped working on independent films. "[After 'Dune'] I felt like I really wanted the challenge of going back in a more 'indie environment,'" he told Variety. In fact, he has used his fame from headlining a major blockbuster to give some smaller projects a leg up.
Inspired by the film "Nomadland," Chalamet wanted to do a movie with a similar vibe, set against a similar rustic Midwest backdrop. He found his answer in a project that the director of "Call Me By Your Name" was cooking up, a cannibal love story called "Bones and All." According to Chalamet (via GQ), Luca Guadagnino handed him the script and told him, "I'll do it if you do it." Naturally, Chalamet couldn't pass up an opportunity to collaborate with Guadagnino again. The filmmakers had difficulty finding financial backing for this unorthodox film, and as far as Guadagnino was concerned, "Bones and All" might not have gotten made without the support of Timothée Chalamet.
"Bones and All" is also significant because it's the first time Chalamet has also taken the role of producer. What's more, Chalamet also served in a writing capacity. When the actor told Guadagnino about his concerns that his flesh-eating character could use a little more fleshing-out, the director invited Chalamet to collaborate with screenwriter David Kajganich to develop the role.
Chalamet has also shot commercials
Just when you thought Timothée Chalamet had done it all, he began starring in commercials. He was featured in a Cadillac Super Bowl ad, where he portrayed the son of Edward Scissorhands. There was also an Apple TV+ commercial where Chalamet played himself with a knowing wink to the audience: he acts stung that every celebrity he knows seems to star in an Apple TV+ original except him (the commercial ends with Chalamet begging Apple to call him). In his commercial for Bleu de Chanel, Chalamet is even more aware of his public image. The various Chanel promo videos that feature Chalamet spare no expense highlighting the actor's heartthrob status. In a behind-the-scenes clip, Chalamet explained, "I'm playing sort of a caricature of what my life could be seen as."
You may wonder why this high-profile actor who can have almost any role he wants would choose to do a commercial. Perhaps it's because commercials give him an opportunity to try roles he wouldn't normally play and work with directors he admires. "I grew up an enormous Tim Burton fan," Chalamet told Vogue, so it's no surprise he would jump at the chance to play a version of Burton's iconic character. Likewise, the Chanel ad was not just any commercial — it was directed by Martin Scorsese. How could Chalamet say no to that? "Yes, it's a perfume ad," he told GQ, "but for me it was an opportunity for an enormous education."
He sharpened his dancing skills in Wonka
After portraying a cannibal and the survivor of an intergalactic genocide, Timothée Chalamet chose to take a role that was a little less weighty: young Willy Wonka. Chalamet shared that this was a nice change of pace for him. "To work on something that will have an uncynical young audience, that was just a big joy. That's why I was drawn to it," he told Vogue.
Chalamet didn't need to audition for "Wonka." Instead, director Paul King approached him directly, having seen YouTube clips of Chalamet showing off his dance moves and singing in musicals back in high school. So really, starring in a movie musical was the next logical step for the actor. According to King (via Rolling Stone), Chalamet said, "I'd quite like to show people I can do that."
Despite his previous exposure to song and dance, "Wonka" was still more physically demanding than any other project he'd done. "You've got to keep being in the center of the frame while dancing, you've got to rehearse for months ... and dance with professional dancers, who are icing their ankles," Chalamet told Vanity Fair. To record the songs, the actor went to Abbey Road, and he admitted that he felt unworthy recording at such a hallowed place. Even more daunting was when Chalamet needed to perform a version of the song "Pure Imagination," because he knew that he just wouldn't be able to compare to Gene Wilder's rendition.
Chalamet has grown up with the Dune franchise
"Dune: Part Two" was like one big reunion for Timothée Chalamet. Not only did he get to resume working with all the cast and crew of "Dune," but he also got to reunite with his "Little Women" co-star Florence Pugh. This time, Chalamet felt more confident as the leading man of a blockbuster. "I was younger when I did it the first time and was kind of blindsided by how big that movie was," Chalamet admitted to Homme Girls. Yet he was on much steadier footing the second time around.
For the second film, Chalamet received some advice from an actor who was no stranger to starring in blockbusters. "After I met Tom Cruise ... he sent me the most wonderfully inspiring email," Chalamet told GQ. In that email, Cruise reportedly urged the young actor to take his stunt training to the next level. Although it was possible to take shortcuts and let his stunt double or the VFX team do all the work, Cruise argued, it would be so much more satisfying if Chalamet put in the extra time and effort so he could do these things himself. Chalamet took Cruise's advice to heart, training in the Filipino art of Kali and even practicing in front of the mirror.
Denis Villeneuve is impressed by how much Chalamet has come into his own, telling The New York Times, "It's the first time that I had the chance to see an artist growing up in front of the camera."