Timotheé Chalamet was told to lose his twink body for big film roles early in his career
Timotheé Chalamet has shown the world just how powerful a thin frame, sharp jawline, and NYU degree can be.But his signature lanky frame —not to mention a striking resemblance to Troye Sivan, whom he portrayed on Saturday Night Live — was initially seen as a hindrance to his career, the 28-year-old revealed in a new interview.
While on the promotional circuit for upcoming Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown (which hits theaters on Christmas Day), Chalamet told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe that his build cost him a handful of roles when he was starting out.Subscribe to our newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.A post shared by Timothée Chalamet (@tchalamet)A post shared by Timothée Chalamet (@tchalamet)“If I auditioned for The Maze Runner or Divergent, things of that variety that were popping when I was coming up, the feedback was always, ‘Oh, you don’t have the right body,'” he revealed.And if that wasn’t toxic enough, Chalamet added that he “had an agent that called me and said, ‘You got to put on weight,’ basically – not aggressively, but you know.”In this way, Timmy compared his own solitary journey to Dylan’s, explaining, “For [him], it was folk music.
He couldn’t keep a rock and roll band because they would all get hired by other kids that had more money, literally, in Minnesota.”Instead of caving to execs’ advice, Chalamet explained that he found his “way into these very personalized movies,” including breakout roles in Call Me By Your Name (for which he was nominated for an Oscar), Lady Bird, and Little Women.Not only were these “very personal” flicks critically acclaimed, but they allowed him to inhabit characters that fit his strong suits as an actor. “Those were smaller budget, but very — I don’t know how else to put it — personable movies that started in this theater space,” he explained.
