Timoth&ée Chalamet has proven to be in high demand since his breakout role in the 2014 sci-fi Matthew McConaughey blockbuster Interstellar portraying a younger version of the character, Tom, who grew up to be the Tom played by Casey Affleck. The choices he’s made in the films he’s participated in have been varied and eclectic. However, they do have one commonality; not one of them fall into the superhero genre.
Timoth&ée Chalamet recently shared some advice that was given to him early on in his career. “One of my heroes – I can’t say who or he’d kick my ass – he put his arm around me the first night we met and gave me some advice,” he said, “No hard drugs and no superhero movies.”
He appears to have taken it to heart, and there’s no sign of him stopping, as his current film Dune hits theaters soon, and his role in Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch will be arriving in theaters October 22. And of course, we all saw him donning his Wonka ensemble this morning. The film is set to be an origin story of the 1964 novel by Roald Dahl.
He’s just finished recording the songs for the film at Abbey Road. “I felt out of my league,” he says of working in the history-making studio. “Like I was desecrating history!” Describing the experience, he says, &”It’s not mining the darker emotions in life. It’s a celebration of being off-center and of being O.K. with the weirder parts of you that don’t quite fit in.”
He see his Denis Villeneuve film, although derived from decades old source material, containing themes that pertain to our current environment. “Dune was written 60 years ago, but its themes hold up today,” Chalamet says. “A warning against the exploitation of the environment, a warning against colonialism, a warning against technology.”
His continuation of the theme of environmental awareness and the potential for toxic technology can be seen in his participation in Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence as scientists, trying to convince the President and her son (played by Meryl Streep and Jonah Hill) that the planet is about to be destroyed by an meteor. While described as a dark comedy, the message of the film appears be a small few trying to save the world by pleading with the powers that be, who are more concerned with media spin and image.
When asked about his ever-mounting success, he believes “It’s a combination of luck and getting good advice early in my career not to pigeonhole myself.” The term ‘movie star, to him, is “like death.” Speaking to his rising fame, “I’m figuring it out,” Chalamet says. “On my worst days, I feel a tension in figuring it out. But on my best days, I feel like I’m growing right on time.” Keeping it in perspective he chimes, “You’re just an actor,” like a mantra. “You’re just an actor!” This news originates from Time.