Timothee Chalamet rose to popularity after his breakout roles in Ladybird (2017) and Call Me by Your Name (2017). Call Me by Your Name earned him a nomination for Best Drama Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture and his story truly began (Golden Globes). He started as a child actor, which tends to lead to burn out, yet he became one of the biggest actors today. So how did he do it? How did he stay relevant and push back as one of the many cogs against the machine that is Hollywood?
The actor was already building up his resume as a child actor, making. Chalamet was born on December 27, 1995, to a Jewish mother and a French father (IMDB). He and his sister, Paula, were raised to be actors, as they both had agents and small roles in TV shows as children. He would attend LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts where some of the infamous parts of his digital footprint would one day resurface (The Week). In 2012, he would play the character Finn Walden in the show Homeland and win the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (The Famous People). He was just on the brink of adulthood as he played the son of the stranded astronaut, Joseph Cooper, in Interstellar (2014), already scoring one of his highest grossing films to this day (Screenrant).
After graduating from LaGuardia, it would seem that there is no way to rise in the ranks. That assumption would be right until 2017, when Chalmania truly began, and fans began asking each other to “Call Me by Your Name.” One was a story about a mother a daughter and navigating being a teenage burnout while the other was about navigating unreciprocated gay love. Both Ladybird and Call Me by Your Name came out in the same year, establishing Chalamet as an up-and-coming celebrity. These movies set him to be one of many voices of a generation. In 2018, news pages like Interview Magazine would write articles about him like “Is Timothee Chalamet the new Leonardo DiCaprio?”. He would continue on with this trend in movies like Beautiful Boy (2018), Little Women (2019), and A Rainy Day in New York (2019). He played roles that spread from addict to romantic scholar; the fangirls loved it.
He would become a fashion icon further diversifying his portfolio. He partnered with Louis Vuitton and Chanel, most notedly at events like the Oscars and Met Galas. In past years, before his jump to fame, he was seen at red carpets in undone ties and striped turtlenecks. Over time he evolved to use blazers, bold colors, and mature cuts to create picture of a modern elegant man. Just at the 2019 Golden Globes, he showed up with a black suit and a sparkly Louis Vuitton harness, which created a sleek but fun play on his style. Megan C Hills from CNN wrote, “Gone were the awkward neckties and gangly suits, which were swapped for inspired accessories – like the instantly iconic Louis Vuitton harness he wore to the Golden Globes and the Eiffel Tower keychain he dangled from his fingertips at a Paris premiere.” As time went on, he added street style to his fashion portfolio, becoming known for his comfortable but professional wardrobe. His style has matched the trends of young adults and teenagers, as he is on the cusp of gen Z. Every outfit’s simple assemblage with a signature item has made people see him as approachable or more human. It is easy to make a connection when many of things he owns can be created or reconstructed in people’s closets
Finally, but definitely most of all, he became somebody everyone thought they could actually know. His personality is that that one guy in theatre department, somebody’s brother, or even that random guy at the store. He has shown up on This Past Weekend with Theo Von, Broski Report, and many other YouTube channels and sportify podcasts. While on Saturday Night Live on January 25th, he performed songs by Bob Dylan while also being a regular guest to publicize his new movie A Complete Unknown about Bob Dylan. While on stage, he had shaken the hands of the band members and, at the end, hugged the cast members while the credits rolled. In a way, he has become the people’s princess, or prince. As mentioned before, his digital footprint is unlike any other celebrity. His most well-known video is of him rapping about statistics to his teacher at Laguardia (Vulture). Another can be shown of him at a talent show singing Roman’s Revenge by Nicki Minaj (Students Edge). Much more is out there, from him yelling Bob Dylan during an interview to his interview with Nardwuar. He has shown that a celebrity can be kind, real, and extremely funny.
From Dune (2021) to Wonka (2023), he has become somewhat of a chameleon like one of his idols, actor Gary Oldman. With his crazily diverse portfolio, strong media training, and wonderful fashion designers, it’s no wonder why so many people know the name Timothee Chalamet. Who knows what will be next for him? It seems his next movie is called Marty Supreme. Hopefully, he keeps up his hard work and one day reaches legend status alongside the greats. Tommy McArdle, who writes for The People wrote, “If Timothée Chalamet wins the Oscars’ Best Actor award, he would become the Academy’s youngest Best Actor winner and surpass Adrien Brody, who won at 29 in 2003.” The future is looking bright for this actor as he keeps breaking records.