In the Oscar race, 30-year-old Timothy Chalamet, recently considered just the most handsome guy in Hollywood, is the favorite for Best Actor. His transformation into a showman and ping-pong star in "Wonka" is one of the most interesting and ambitious acting performances of the last decade: he carries the entire 2.5-hour film, and for an authentic portrayal, he spent months learning the sport. Exactly one year ago, Chalamet received a nomination for his role as Bob Dylan in the biopic "No One Is Here", for which he learned to perform Dylan's legendary hits and play guitar. The final part of the "Dune" trilogy is scheduled for release in 2026, where Chalamet will once again lead the cast, preparing to portray Paul Atreides' transformation from a revolutionary leader to a bloodthirsty tyrant. After a series of awards and nominations from the Golden Globes, BAFTA, and Critics' Choice, Chalamet has a strong chance of winning the main statuette (he has about 200 nominations and over 80 wins at festivals and industry awards). Film critic Oleg Tundra is convinced that regardless of the Oscar results, Chalamet is one of the most serious performers in modern cinema. Timothy Chalamet at the Oscar ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA, March 2, 2025. Photo: David Swanson / EPA. "Right now, I feel like I'm in the driver's seat. Actors are usually told how to behave and what projects to take. And on social media, especially now, you're constantly humiliated. All external stimuli push you to move cautiously... And I want to move with confidence and joy, and that's rare... And I want to feel deep gratitude... And I'm learning a lot," says Timothy Chalamet to Matthew McConaughey in Variety's annual "Actors on Actors" series. But most of the internet audience, who haven't seen the full interview, focused on Chalamet's out-of-context opinion about opera and ballet, which are "unnecessary for anyone" (it's clear from the interview that he meant in comparison to mainstream cinema). This fact confirmed Chalamet's words that haters on social media destroy celebrities day after day, and many people dislike watching celebrities who speak boldly and without self-censorship. But if anyone has the right, it's a 30-year-old Hollywood star without professional acting training. With roles for Christopher Nolan, Denis Villeneuve, Wes Anderson, Luca Guadagnino, Greta Gerwig, and Woody Allen over a ten-year career, he has managed to build a portfolio of contradictory and unique characters that allow for an analysis of 21st-century cinema: both auteur and mainstream. And if Chalamet exudes anything in his interviews besides confidence, it's a colossal love for cinema and his profession. After his leading role in Luca Guadagnino's gay romance "Call Me By Your Name," Chalamet existed for a long time as "what a beautiful boy": he was seen on red carpets much more often than in films. This also shaped a biased perception of the young actor, whose big breakthrough in Hollywood was objectively delayed by a couple of years. Prejudice was reinforced by Chalamet's lack of formal acting education: he studied at the prestigious LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts, anthropology at Columbia University, and the acting program at New York University, but never graduated from any. In a dialogue with Emma Stone, he shared how lost he felt after dropping out of education and waiting for invitations to serious roles. Dialogue between Timothée Chalamet and Emma Stone. Photo: YouTube / Variety. Interesting projects started pouring in simultaneously: a bohemian provincial boyfriend in the coming-of-age comedy "Lady Bird", a teenager with addiction in "Beautiful Boy", an intellectual from a wealthy New York family in "A Rainy Day in New York", and the young English King Henry V, for which Chalamet spent months practicing his English accent. Around the same time, the actor was cast as Paul Atreides in the multi-year project by visionary director Denis Villeneuve, who took on the adaptation of Frank Herbert's "Dune", notoriously difficult for Hollywood production. Villeneuve said in interviews that what attracted him most to Paul's character was the fragility and vulnerability embodied on screen by the young New Yorker Chalamet – thin, androgynous, and lacking the typical alpha energy of a male movie star. Possessing a conventionally model-like appearance, he began publicly experimenting with looks that had nothing to do with the idea of male elegance a la "tuxedo plus bow tie". Thus, he became the face of Chanel's Bleu brand, and while the public commented on his fashion status and relationship with model Kylie Jenner on social media, he was preparing for the filming of "Dune" sequel and Bob Dylan's biopic. His relationship with Kylie Jenner, one of the wealthiest and most popular models and celebrities, caused a wave of indignation in 2023: from the perspective of building the image of a serious actor in Hollywood, a girlfriend from the Kardashian family is not an ideal match. But over three years, before the eyes of the world, their relationship has not only not broken down but has even strengthened: Chalamet repeatedly thanks Kylie from the stage while receiving new acting awards, and at one social event, they appeared in matching orange outfits in honor of the "Wonka" promotion. What haters initially called vanity promotion has benefited the publicity of both – partly thanks to Chalamet's confidence in his own choices: he rarely discusses his personal life with the press and fans, focusing primarily on his work and upcoming projects. For example, his friendship with Zendaya, with whom they have been doing promotional interviews for "Dune" for several years and answering quizzes like "Test your best friend". Timothy Chalamet and Kylie Jenner watch the third round of the men's singles tennis tournament at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, USA, March 9, 2025. Photo: JohnG. Mabanglo / EPA. Where Chalamet is almost unmatched is in joint and group interviews with other celebrities, where he appears not only as a witty conversationalist but also as a relaxed guy who unconditionally respects his colleagues and plays well in a team. Whether it's a QA with Martin Scorsese or a comical intergenerational conversation with his "Wonka" co-star Gwyneth Paltrow, he always manages to project an image of a spontaneous person in the moment. Over the years spent in the lenses of paparazzi, he has never been seen in self-destructive behavior: addiction, abusive relationships, harassment of colleagues – these are not about him. Perhaps the turning point in the public perception of Chalamet was his role as Bob Dylan in the biopic "No One Is Here", where the actor was entrusted with a colossal and complex task: not just to achieve a visual resemblance to a young Bob Dylan, but to do so without provoking a wave of irritation for superficiality and affectation. For this role, he did not receive an "Oscar" or a "Golden Globe" despite nominations, but he surprisingly won a "Grammy": years of listening to and imitating Bob Dylan and his guitar playing were not in vain. No less important in terms of recognition of his acting work was the official blessing from Bob Dylan himself: "Timmy is a brilliant actor, so I'm sure he'll be absolutely convincing as me. Or me when I was younger. Or some other me." Upon receiving the Screen Actors Guild Award for his role as Dylan, Chalamet gave a speech about acting ambitions and the work done: "I understand that the most noble thing would be to downplay the effort put into this role and how important it is to me, but the truth is, it took five and a half years of my life... The truth is, I really strive for greatness. I know people don't usually say this, but I want to be one of the greats, I'm inspired by the greats... And I want to be at the top." This serious speech, without a hint of irony or the usual nervous giggles, shows that Chalamet has long ceased to consider himself a person who is simply lucky. Frame from the film "Wonka". Photo: imdb.com. Timothy Chalamet has dedicated the past year of his media appearances to promoting his role in Josh Safdie's "Wonka", confirming by his example that viewers don't need to be fans of a particular sport for the athlete's story to captivate them. Western media jokes that if there were an "Oscar" for best marketing, Chalamet would definitely win it: a tour of film premieres, traveling to TV studios in the image of Wonka – all part of a large promotional campaign to ensure that this atypical biopic is watched by literally everyone. Chalamet also has a financial interest in this race: he is one of the co-producers of the film (meaning he earns from its distribution), and for this reason, he is also a co-nominee for an "Oscar" for Best Picture. "Wonka" has already earned three times more than it cost, and is likely to earn even more if it succeeds at the Oscars (the film has 9 nominations, and Chalamet already has a "Golden Globe" for Best Actor). While haters criticize Timothy Chalamet for his ubiquity, self-confidence, relationship with Kylie Jenner, vanity, and snobbish attitude towards opera and ballet, he proves that fame and hype can be turned to one's advantage – and that he can work with the best directors of our time. But to see him as a person, one needs to focus for longer than the 10-15 second reels on the internet. Chalamet's media rise coincided with the #MeToo movement and the emergence of an allergy to toxic masculinity. Somewhat shy, always optimistic, calm, and not succumbing to provocation – and also not caught in scandals or mistreatment of the press and colleagues – he perfectly embodies the image of a modern young man in Hollywood who is breaking old boundaries. Boundaries of sexist fashion and gender beauty standards. Boundaries of auteur and mainstream cinema. Boundaries of a profession with a set of prescribed correct steps. And boundaries of self-promotion that prevent young actors from showing their true selves.
