I will try to say this as calmly as possible: Timothée Chalamet is King. He is Legend. He is He.
He is the breakout star of 2017, and one of the few people who could factually say that the past 12 months have been the best of his life. This is a unique privilege, and one that I am happy he can claim, because as someone who is a Fan of Timmy T, I believe that he has earned it. Not only is Chalamet, who turns 22 on December 27, the star of the critically-acclaimed Call Me By Your Name (in one specifically terrific scene, you see him experience no less than six different stages of heartbreak), and the charming asshole in Lady Bird, but he's also on track to completely rule awards season.
So far, he's won almost every award he has been nominated for, and is already a favorite front runner for the Oscar for Best Actor.
His two films of 2017 have a notoriously intense fandom on Twitter — stan is the only appropriate word for the groups of dedicated CMBYN and Lady Bird enthusiasts. But it's more than just his floppy brown hair and tendency to say "I'm kidding " that has critics and high schoolers taking note; it's the way he seamlessly personifies the two roles that were basically written for him to play.
In CMBYN, based on the 2007 book by André Aciman of the same name, he plays 17-year-old Elio who, upon meeting a tall, tan, handsome 24-year-old American grad student, Oliver (Armie Hammer), becomes immediately infatuated. (This isn't a spoiler; he's clearly in love from the very first scene.) The film, which is nominated for three Golden Globes, has been praised for its ability to depict a gay love story that has no tangible villain. The only thing working against Elio and Oliver is time itself, as Oliver is only in town for one summer.
In Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird, Chalamet plays Kyle Schieble, opposite Saoirse Ronan who plays the titular role. Lady Bird, with her strawberry red hair and penchant for rule-breaking, develops a crush on Kyle (one of the cool kids at the all-boys Catholic school) after hearing his band play. Kyle is pretentious, moody, rolls his own cigarettes, and doesn't believe in money. He hasn't lied in two years, despite, um, lying to Lady Bird's face in a pivotal moment of the film.
In my perfect world, Ronan ( Atonement, Brooklyn) and Chalamet sweep awards season — her for Lady Bird, and him for C all Me By Your Name. At a time when Hollywood is changing so much, wouldn't it be amazing to see two young, fresh, incredible stars take home the biggest prizes of the year?
What makes Chalamet so alluring is his acting style which can be summarized in one word: vulnerable. But his real life presence can be summarized by another: normal. Much like other "Internet boyfriends," Chalamet's charms lie in the fact that, at the end of the day, he's just a normal kid at the end of the day. When he's not on the red carpet answering questions about a certain scene with a peach, he's thanking Cardi B for her contribution to music, hanging out with his high school friend Ansel Elgort, trying to rap, maybe attending New York University, and engaging with his adoring fan base on Twitter, and in real life.
Every once in awhile, an actor comes along and completely seduces an entire generation. In 2017, that actor was Timothée Chalamet.
This is his story.
Baby Timmy
Young Timmy loved Power Rangers, but not Pokémon. Yu-Gi-Oh!, yes, but not Ninja Turtles. A man of refined taste, as they say.
Francophile Timmy
Even as a young tiny Tim, Timmy was being primed for his future in the arts. His American mother was a Broadway dancer, his French father an editor, and his older sister an actress (now living in France). Beyond that, his uncle was a filmmaker, and his grandfather a screenwriter.
Early TV Timmy
Chalamet's now-signature hair may look familiar to you because of his first biggish role on Homeland in 2012 as Finn Walden, Dana Brody's (Morgan Saylor) boyfriend. Before that, he appeared as "Luke" on Royal Pains and in an episode of Law & Order, as most new stars do. He'd later star in a little film called Interstellar as Matthew McConaughey's son.
Statistics Timmy
This unearthed video from Timmy' years at a performing arts high school in Manhattan is a real treat.
Scary Timmy
The year was 2015, and a not yet 20-year-old Timmy has a movie out titled One & Two. I haven't seen this movie even though it stars other fan favourite Kiernan Shipka, but seems very disturbing? And mystical? I'll take Lady Bird over this, but still, you gotta remember your roots.
The Miss Stevens -era
Chalamet starred in a 2016 indie, Miss Stevens, alongside American Horror Story 's Lily Rabe and Riverdale 's Lili Reinhart. And no offence to Betty Cooper, but Chalamet stole the show as the misunderstood hoodie-wearing problem child that forms a quick and uneasy bond with his teacher, Miss Stevens (Rabe). The movie reaches a climax when Chalamet, as Billy, performs his monologue at a drama competition, blowing everyone in the audience away. This is no Homeland bit part — now, he has the range.
Timmy In Love
A career-defining performance in CMBYN that will leave you speechless and in tears!!!!! Ahem, I mean, it is a good movie, and I recommend it.
Photo: Courtesy of Sony PicturesPretentious Timmy
There's no way that this character in Lady Bird doesn't become one of Timmy's most cherished performances. Sharing scenes with some of the rawest, and finest young talent (Beanie Feldstein, Lucas Hedges, Ronan) has got to be electrifying and so, so fun. However, he pulls off pretentious really well....
... A little too well?
Fanboy Timmy
Timmy's been a fanboy his whole life, which could explain why he has such a strong fan base of his own — it's fan karma!
Late Night Timmy
The more famous you get, the more embarrassing late night shows you have to appear on.
Friendship Goals Timmy
Just two Golden Globe nominated actors who attended LaGuardia High hanging out together front row at a Knicks game. (Invite me next time.)
James Devaney / ContributorSweet Tea Timmy
And now we enter the phase of full-on "Sweet Tea," the nickname his devoted fan base has bestowed upon him.
This phase of Timmy's career will be a defining one for him. The remaining slides will give you a glimpse at the true Timmy devotees, from their handle to their tweets, they aren't messing around.
Here's a tweet proclaiming that the mood today is depressing lamentation, referring to the outfit Elio is wearing in the final scene of CMBYN.
I mean, this is dedication....
...the fans love Sweet Tea....
... & they're not wrong about it.
That's all.
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