Avant Dune, Timothée Chalamet tried to go through the big show for teenagers without success… because of his muscles.
Timothée Chalamet today is one of Hollywood's darlings. The Franco-American actor exploded on the red carpets thanks to his role in the highly commented Call Me by Your Namealongside Armie Hammer. He then went on to collaborate with some of the most famous authors of so-called independent cinema: Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird, The Daughters of Doctor March), Scott Cooper (Hostiles), David Michôd (The King) or Wes Anderson (The French Dispatch).
At the turn of the 2020s, however, he allowed himself a foray into the big science fiction blockbuster by taking on the famous character of Paul Atréides in the Dune by Denis Villeneuve. A journey that is ultimately quite characteristic of the contemporary Hollywood star, but which could have been very different if he had managed to ride the young adult wave of the 2010s. But something got stuck.
Timothée Chalamet diverges
Indeed, at the start of his career, the actor aimed for roles in action and teenage anticipation films which hit the box office in the wake of Hunger Games. In an interview for Rolling Stone UKhe told how at that time he aimed at Labyrinth and others Divergent. However, his build would have been detrimental to him.
“I always got the same feedback. 'Oh, you don't have the right body.' I had an agent call me one day and say, 'I'm tired of getting the same feedback. We're going to stop offering you for these bigger projects, because you're not gaining weight.' I was trying to gain weight, I couldn't! I just couldn't do it. My metabolism or whatever shit couldn't do it. »
This is how he prioritized more independent projectsincluding the famous Call Me by Your Name in 2017. The coveted roles ofaction star generally require a pair of weight training sessions, hence the firmness of the quadriceps of the various superhero teams. Chalamet didn't have to go through that, he sneaked through the film festivals.
And he continues to plow this furrow while squatting at award ceremonies: recently headlining the musical Wonkahe is about to, on January 29, 2025, unveil his interpretation of Bob Dylan in A complete stranger, which already makes it a favorite for the 2025 Oscars. A role for which Dylan O'Brien or Theo James probably don't have the right build.
