Timothée Chalamet has become a household name. In a matter of years, the young man went from having a Youtube video of him rapping about statistics at La Guardia High School to being a well-renowned actor with nominations ranging from the Golden Globes, Academy Awards, and more. At the ripe age of 25, Timothée has graced the cover of TIME Magazine as one of their Next Generation Leaders, being tied as the youngest to do so with Leonardo Dicaprio, who was 25 when he starred on the cover in 2000.
Within the span of a month, Timothée (or as many fans lovingly refer to him, Timmy) has two major movies releasing on the same day, those being Denis Villeneuve’s big-budgeted sci-fi movie, Dune, as well as Wes Anderson’s, The French Dispatch. His name is one that will draw eyes as well as an audience no matter the genre of film as people flock to the movie theaters to see his amazing performances. Timothée’s role in Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me By Your Name as Elio Perlman is what shot him to fame in 2017. His acting as a young man who falls in love with an American university student was raw, intense, and emotional. It had the world gripping their seats, demanding more of him on their screens.
With his enormous success in this movie, he later starred in big movies, such as Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird and her adaptation of Little Women. With all this success, Timothée has managed to stay humble through it all. As a Gen Z actor in the modern age of technology, he has remained private and respectful. All while interacting with his fans online occasionally. When you scour the Internet and hear stories of the fans who meet him, you learn he was nothing but kind, posing for photos and being gentle. It may seem like the bare minimum, but being a star in the limelight is hard, and these small gestures mean everything.
On top of being a charismatic figure, Timothée uses his mass following to be an activist, whether for climate change, the Time’s Up movement, or mental health awareness. He wants to do as much good with his platform as he can instead of posting meaningless ads to his Instagram account. Alongside his forward beliefs, Timothée has always been direct and never shied away from wearing what he wants to wear. Many describe his style as androgynous, which offers a softer side of masculinity and isn’t commonly seen by big names in Hollywood. However, times are changing. His outfits on and off the red carpet are some of the most talked-about and loved out there (If you don’t already know, go check out his MET Gala look from 2019). His style shows that it’s cool to be vulnerable and wear what you like and not be dictated by societal and gender norms.
Overall, TIME Magazine is right. Timothée Chalamet is a next-generation leader in the way he graciously handles stardom and uses his platform for good. His influential reach stretches far. It touches all 13.8 million Instagram followers and his 1.6 million fans on Twitter, shaping the young minds that follow him while simultaneously growing up alongside them. He is creating new perspectives in the upcoming generation of adults and making immense changes. The young American actor has a promising future. It will be amazing to see what he does in the next few years and how he will continue to change the framework of Hollywood.