Timothée Chalamet: the 22-year-old native New Yorker and indie-film heartthrob who has completely won over all of Hollywood – and all of our hearts.
Since his overnight rise to fame after being cast as Elio in the 2017 film adaptation of author André Aciman’s “Call Me By Your Name“, Chalamet has been in the spotlight of the film industry. He is pulling in prestigious roles and award nominations left and right only four years after graduating from La Guardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York City.
It didn’t take long for Chalamet’s pure talent and sensitive, boyish personality to completely capture audiences worldwide – building up a fanbase not only for the characters he portrays, but for who he is outside of the big screen. Chalamet has taken what it means to be a leading man in Hollywood today and completely refined it one cult-classic role at a time. Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turan speaks to Chalmet’s talent in a review of his latest role as Nic Sheff in director Felix Van Groeningen’s “Beautiful Boy”.
Timothée Chalamet might be the male actor of his generation. Chalamet both echoes the best of what’s come before and makes the part his own, allowing us to feel we’ve never seen a character like this.
VALLEY pulled together the best films that showcase Chalamet’s range of talent — each of which match up with the best of every genre we could possibly be in the mood for.
(*VALLEY does not encourage binge-watching, but when it comes to Timothée Chalamet – please, binge on.)
For the Hopeless Romantic – Call Me By Your Name
You’ve heard the title, and you’ve probably seen the film, but if you haven’t already, “Call Me By Your Name” is an absolute must-see (and totally worth a rewatch). Set in 1983 in Northern Italy, this film tells the story of Chalmet’s character Elio Perlman, the son of an archaeology professor, and Oliver, the doctorate student staying with the Perlman family for the summer. Elio and Oliver’s unavoidable and intoxicating love affair reaches far beyond what’s expected of a typical summer fling, becoming an indescribable, rare connection that will prove to stick with the two men for a lifetime. A tale of coming-of-age first love, the plot alone overflows with intense emotions (both good and bad) but paired with the incomparable beauty of an Italian summer and the music of Sufjan Stevens? Spoiler alert: get ready to cry.
For a Heartwarming Throwback – Lady Bird
Though set in the 90s, every second of director Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird” takes us back to our own memories of senior prom, high school drama and applying to college — all while perfectly illustrating the painfully accurate, relatable time in each of our lives when set out to discover who we really are. In yet another coming-of-age drama, Chalamet plays a love interest of Lady Bird herself as a faux-anarchist, emotionally unattached, high school cool kid Kyle Scheible. “Lady Bird” — the perfect blend of comedy and heartstring-tugging emotion — emphasizes the importance of family, friendship, heartbreak and above all learning to stay true to all of the things that make us, us.
For the Most Dramatic of Drama – Hot Summer Nights
This sticky-sweet summer drama ticks all of this genre’s boxes and then some. Set during one wildly hot summer in the 80s, Chalamet plays Daniel — a socially awkward teenager sent to live with family in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Daniel finds himself as far outside of his comfort zone as he could possibly get, quickly sending the film spiraling into a storm of drug dealing, teenage romance, wild parties and one unbelievable plot twist.
For a Good Cry (and a True Story) – Beautiful Boy
“Beautiful Boy” tells the true story of a family’s survival through and recovery from addiction, as originally written in the memoirs of David and Nic Sheff. In the film adaptation of these heartbreaking memoirs, Chalamet plays Nic Sheff — a seemly well-off kid, who becomes wrapped up in the world of drug addiction and begins to lose himself. Perfecting his ability to capture the life-experiences of a real person while still taking this performance and making it entirely his own, Chalamet is able to flawlessly contribute to a story that’s equal parts heartbreaking and inspirational.
