Timothée Chalamet has earned his second Oscar nomination for Best Actor in “A Complete Unknown.” His first nomination was for his role in “Call Me By Your Name,” according to The Oscars.
At just 29, Chalamet becomes the youngest actor to receive two Best Actor nominations since James Dean, who was nominated twice by the age of 24, marking a rare milestone in Oscar history, per Screen Rant.
Dean died in a car accident just months before receiving his first Oscar nomination in 1956 for his role in “East of Eden.” He was nominated again the following year for his performance in “Giant.”
Before Chalamet, Dean held the distinction as the only actor to receive two nominations before the age of 30, and the only one to earn two posthumous nominations, the article said.
If Chalamet does take home the Oscar for Best Actor, he will become the youngest actor to win in the category, per Screen Rant.
Chalamet wowed audiences in ‘A Complete Unknown’
In a 60 Minutes interview with Anderson Cooper, Chalamet offered a glimpse into the contradictions that define him. Living in New York, surrounded by the many actors and actresses who pass through its streets, only fueled his disinterest in his involvement in the movie industry.
He spoke candidly about how watching the lives of those around him turned him away from the pursuit of stardom. “It actually terrified me of becoming an actor,” Chalamet told Cooper.
It wasn’t until grappling with a deeper crisis of identity during his college years that Chalamet made the decision to drop out and commit to acting.
At 23, he was offered the role of Bob Dylan in the biopic, “A Complete Unknown.” The decision to accept the role was an easy one for Chalamet, and at 29, his portrayal of Dylan has earned him widespread acclaim.
Critics have highlighted his ability to capture the raw, nasally and ragged tone of the iconic singer, according to Screen Rant.
Chalamet was committed to portraying Dylan. He sang Dylan’s songs himself and recorded them live during filming.
The results didn’t come without immense amounts of effort. Chalamet took months to prepare, including countless hours with vocal coaches and hours of watching old video clips of Dylan to perfect the iconic sound that makes Dylan’s voice so distinct, per Screen Rant.
His immersion into the role went as far as removing himself from the life he knew, abandoning his phone, visitors and chain-smoking two packets of cigarettes a day, a habit borrowed directly from Dylan.
For the two and a half months of filming, he lived in the character. “I never approached a character so intensely as Bob, because I have such respect for the material and I knew I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I remembered I was lazy on a day when something went wrong,” Chalamet told Cooper on 60 Minutes.
Cooper asked Chalamet what he would say to Dylan, if given the chance. Chalamet’s first, very automatic response is to tell Dylan, “Thank you.”
However, he quickly changes his answer, “I would honestly just play it super-cool, because I feel like he’s probably used to so much hyperbole and praise. Maybe I would try to out-Bob him,” said Chalamet. “(I would) not bring anything up around him about the movie. Maybe just talk about the weather and what his favorite sandwich is.”