Actor Timothée Chalamet is officially on Hollywood's A-List—and he's only 22 years old!
There have been plenty of actors who struggled for well over a decade before getting noticed, but Timothée has been in hit film after hit film, challenging his acting chops with tough roles that have earned him the respect and admiration of both the industry insiders and audiences around the world.
It really seems like there's nothing he can't do—and he's just getting started!
2018 was a stellar year for the young actor, but odds are, 2019 will be even better as he continues to tackle projects that allow him to show his full range and skill set. Think famous faces like Richard Gere, George Clooney, or Brad Pitt. Better as the years wear on, right?
Given how incredible he is now, it's hard to imagine what his acting chops will be like a decade down the road as he continues to refine them on set and by taking on different characters. It may be a bit early to say, but he could very well be a once-in-a-generation type of talent.
For those who haven't yet heard of him, here are 20 things spectators (and fans) may not have known about the talented Timothee Chalamet.
20 He Used To Be A Rapper, And Used The Name Lil' Timmy Tim
You may know him best from his roles in indie films, but did you know that Timothée actually did a bit of rapping back in the day?
Apparently, he went under the alias Lil' Timmy Tim and he rapped about things like how much he loved high school statistics.
Luckily, since he's so young, the video is still circulating around the internet, since his rapping happened just a few short years ago—so you can get the full glimpse at his math-loving alter ego. Who would have guessed? Maybe one day he'll play a character who's a rapper and get the chance the dust off his rhymes.
19 He Dated Madonna's Daughter Lourdes For Years
Chalamet may be relatively new to Hollywood, but that doesn't mean he's a stranger to being in the spotlight. In fact, one of his first girlfriends ever was pretty darn famous—he dated Madonna's daughter, Lourdes Leon. And we're not just talking about grabbing coffee once or twice—the two were teenage sweethearts, dating from about 2013 to around 2017. That's forever in teen years! The two split last year, but are allegedly still on good terms. Can you imagine Chalamet going over to Lourdes' house and just casually running into Madonna? Talk about crazy—no wonder he wasn't phased by all the celebrities on the red carpet!
18 He Learned Another Language For His Role In Call Me By Your Name
His role in Call Me By Your Name was definitely a challenging one, and Chalamet wasn't about to rest on his laurels or take the easy way out.
He wanted to give all his effort to the project—and that meant learning an entirely different language!
For the movie, Chalamet actually learned Italian. He spilled to Interview, saying "we got to be in Italy for three months, learning Italian and learning the piano and the guitar. I already knew how to speak French... but I picked up the Italian too." Talk about a man of many talents! Is there anything he can't do?
17 He Was A Mascot For His Middle School Basketball Team
When he was in high school, Chalamet was probably part of the drama crew, performing in school plays and working towards his goal of becoming an actor. Back in middle school, though, he didn't quite have it as figured out. He tried out for the basketball team at one point and when he didn't make it, ended up becoming the mascot for the team instead. It seems like a strange switch, but really, it makes more sense for him now that he's an actor. After all, mascots don't just play a game—they perform for the crowd and get the crowd excited and keep them entertained.
16 He Went To High School With Ansel Elgort
While there are certainly many celebrities who go to regular high schools in the Midwest and end up finding a passion for the arts, Chalamet had a bit of a different experience.
He went to the famous LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts in New York City and even ended up attending at the same time as another actor who ended up making it big in Hollywood—Ansel Elgor.
And, apparently, Chalamet was pretty beloved. Elgort spilled about his former classmate in an MTV interview, saying "no one disliked Timmy. Some people disliked me." Talk about a talented class!
15 He Was Obsessed With Power Rangers As A Child
Everyone has things that they love as a child that they eventually grow out of, and for Chalamet, that was Power Rangers. He spilled about his love to W, saying "nothing wrong with the fandom that continues into later years, but that wasn't what it was for me. Around seven, eight, or nine, if you walked into a 9-year-old Timmy taking a bath, it would have been Power Rangers everywhere." We know he's not a huge fan anymore, but perhaps one day he'll get to live out his childhood dream and play a Power Ranger on screen—9 9-year-oldimmy would have loved that!
14 Joaquin Phoenix Is His #1 Acting Inspiration
There are plenty of much older actors who probably admire Chalamet's talent, but who in Hollywood inspired him?
It turns out, Joaquin Phoenix is his number one inspiration.
While chatting with VMan magazine, Chalamet mentioned that "there's five or six artists I'm really trying to follow in the footsteps of creatively. I get the opportunity to be on the phone with one right now [Frank Ocean], but on the acting side, Joaquin is No. 1 for me." We can totally see why—like Chalamet, Phoenix favors indie films and challenging characters rather than mindless blockbusters. We can't think of a better inspiration for the rising star.
13 He Speaks Fluent French
You may have assumed this fact based on his name, but it's true—though Chalamet was born and raised in New York City, he speaks fluent French, partly because of all the time he spent in France growing up. It's a skill that probably comes in handy quite often when he's doing press stops in France, and gives him even more skills to draw upon as an actor—an extra language is always a plus. Who knows, perhaps he'll star in another foreign language film or two over the years and develop more of an audience overseas. The sky is truly the limit for him.
12 His First Job Was As A Youth Soccer Coach At Just 13 In France
Chalamet was already a huge star appearing in big movies at an age where many his age are working entry-level jobs or just service jobs to put themselves through college. However, that doesn't mean he's never had a job outside of Hollywood.
In fact, he got his first ever job when he was spending a summer abroad in France at just 13.
He ended up getting hired as the soccer coach for a youth soccer team in a small town there. So, Chalamet absolutely loves soccer, and apparently, he's not opposed to coaching. We'd love to see him play a big time soccer coach on screen one day.
11 He's A Huge Fan Of Hip Hop
While Chalamet may seem like the quintessential indie figure, in reality, he's actually a huge fan of hip-hop. He talks about the genre quite a bit and was even interviewed by musician Frank Ocean, who he counts as one of his idols. He's also mentioned Kid Cudi as one of his favorite artists. We have to admit, we wouldn't have envisioned him to be a huge hip-hop fan, but it just goes to show that you can't judge a book by its cover. He truly is a fascinating guy with a lot of different interests and passions he's developed over the years.
10 He's Really Into Fashion
Chalamet has the type of lanky frame that's absolutely made for high fashion, and it turns out he's actually a big fan of fashion.
We're not just talking about a star that's willing to dress up for the red carpet—we're talking someone who follows the industry on his own.
He spilled to VMan that "I'm such a fan boy. [Being involved] with fashion has been really fun, just as a fan. I don't want to work with a stylist or anything. I've been following designers like Raf, Haider Ackermann, Hedi Slimane — these guys are like rock stars. They're artists."
9 His Grandfather Was A Famous Screenwriter
While it must have been intimidating to get started in the industry at a relatively young age, Chalamet did have a bit of an inside scoop on what Hollywood was truly like thanks to his grandfather. His grandfather, Harold Flender, was a screenwriter who worked with Sid Caesar and had quite a few credits under his belt. Putting together scripts behind the scenes is different than being the one in front of the camera, but he probably grew up hearing some interesting stories from his grandfather's time in the industry, which may very well have inspired him to pursue jobs in Hollywood.
8 He Was Born And Raised In New York City
Despite his youth, Chalamet just has a certain swagger, a certain degree of coolness that is inherent and can't really be learned. We have to guess that part of that comes from the fact that he grew up in New York City, in the neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen to be specific.
He's a city boy and likely observed many fascinating characters and situations growing up that he could very well translate into his characters now.
He still spends a great deal of time at home when he's not filming, and who knows—perhaps he'll never make Los Angeles his true home base, f he's a New Yorker through and through.
7 He Made His Television Debut On An Episode Of Law & Order
The amount of A-List celebrities who appeared on an episode of Law & Order as a guest star once upon a time is truly astounding, and it turns out, Chalamet is one of them. Back when he was young, he ended up playing a victim in one episode of the show. Even if you watched the episode, unless you saw the credits, you may not know it's the same person, because he looks completely different! It just shows what a difference a few years can make—his look totally transformed. Still, it must have been nice to get that taste of success at such a young age.
6 He Holds Dual Citizenship In The United States And France
Chalamet spends most of his time in the United States unless he's away somewhere filming, but if he ever wanted to take a break from his bustling Hollywood activities and go on a vacation to Europe, he'd even be able to work there because he has dual citizenship.
Thanks to his father, Chalamet has citizenship in both the United States and France.
We wonder if he flaunts that when he's at the airport travelling with his co-workers—after all, who doesn't love having the option to check in at the shorter line? We love that Chalamet is so in touch with his roots.
5 He Got A Shout Out On Tyler The Creator's Song "Okra"
Given what a huge hip hop fan Chalamet is, it was probably one of his dreams to get a shout out on a hip hop song at one point in his life—and he certainly didn't have to wait very long! Tyler, The Creator, referenced the young star in his song "Okra," where he rapped "tell Tim Chalamet to come get at me / skin glowin', clear of acne." Chalamet definitely heard the reference, as he engaged on social media by retweeting a hilarious meme of him falling off a chair in response. Who knows, perhaps Tim and Tyler will develop a friendship and work on a project together in the future—how cool would that be?
4 One Of His First Big Film Roles Was In 2014's Interstellar
It's absolutely crazy to think about the fact that one of Chalamet's first big movie roles came just four years ago, because his fame has absolutely skyrocketed in the years since.
Back in 2014, he got one of his first big breaks when he played the younger version of the main character played by Casey Affleck in Interstellar.
Often the actors who play the younger versions of the stars are somewhat forgotten, just background noise in a successful movie, but obviously, plenty of people in Hollywood saw something special about the young kid on screen, as he started getting more interesting leading roles soon after that.
3 He Auditioned For Spiderman—But Tom Holland Got The Part
Being part of successful movies is one thing, but being part of a superhero movie franchise is an entirely different beast. Though the actors can obviously take on different roles in between playing their superhuman characters, it definitely means you're going to be playing that character in quite a few films over the years. Chalamet almost got into the superhero world when he auditioned for the role of Spiderman, but the role ended up going to actor Tom Holland. We have to admit, though Chalamet is obviously talented, we can't imagine anyone but Tom Holland as the young Peter Parker.
2 He's Got A New Girlfriend—Lily Rose Depp
Many celebrities, especially ones whose professional trajectories are on the rise, end up dating regular people because they just want to step away from the craziness of Hollywood.
However, you can't help who you fall in love with—and Chalamet has just happened to fall for another famous person, Lily Rose Depp.
Yes, the daughter of Johnny Depp. So, Chalamet went from chatting with Madonna while he was visiting his girlfriend to chatting with Johnny Depp or Vanessa Paradis. Talk about a crazy dating history! The two are absolutely adorable together and we can't wait to see where their relationship takes them.
1 He Doesn't Care If People Pronounce His Name Right
Chalamet has gone by quite a few nicknames over the years, from Timmy to Tim, and part of the reason may be that his actual name is a bit tough for many to pronounce. It's technically pronounced the traditional way, Timo-tay. However, he's mentioned in interviews before that, even though he speaks fluent French, he's never going to correct anyone on the pronunciation of his name because it's just not something that matters to him that much. We have to admit, we love how low maintenance he is—he could easily demand that people get his name right but instead he just shrugs it off.
Sources: This is Insider, Pop Buzz
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