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Timothee Chalamet has had one of the all-time great Academy Award campaigns in recent months as he’s transformed himself from a seemingly quiet and artsy kid simply “annointed” as the next big thing in action to a man with a personality that seems to speak to all sorts of different demographics, from shrill teenage girls to 40-year-old sports fans who appreciate his ball knowledge. This is a press tour in which he was interviewed by Nardwuar and interviewed Kendrick Lamar, went on College GameDay, and was a musical guest on Saturday Night Live.
Chalamet’s unreal PR hot streak continued on Sunday night when he took home the Best Actor award at the SAG Awards, his first of the award season, and a win that bolsters his chances of taking home the Oscar next weekend (right now, Adrien Brody is the betting favorite, however, with Chalamet’s odds currently hovering at around +150).
In his SAG speech, Chalamet took on a tone rarely seen from actors: one in the pursuit of greatness, similar to athletes. Usually, actors will deliver some spiel about the integrity of art or the importance of storytelling and them merely being a vessel of that — and that’s a perfectly legitimate way to feel.
But what Chalamet is expressing here is far more relatable to the masses because it’s something that can be applied to every walk of life: he isn’t just doing this because he loves it, he’s doing it because he wants to dominate.
You can hear it in the tone of his voice when he’s speaking — reminiscent of Kobe’s famed “Job’s not done” line in the NBA Finals. Given how rabid of an NBA fan Chalamet is and the fact that he name-checked Michael Jordan in his speech, it certainly wouldn’t be surprising if he was channeling that infamous Mamba Mentality, whether consciously or unconsciously.
“I know we’re in a subjective business, but I’m really in pursuit of greatness. People don’t usually talk like this, but I want to be one of the greats,” Chalamet said during his speech.
“I’m inspired by the greats. I’m inspired by the greats here tonight,” he continued. “I’m as inspired by Daniel Day-Lewis, Marlon Brando, and Viola Davis as I am by Michael Jordan and Michael Phelps, and I want to be up there. So I’m deeply grateful to that. This [award] doesn’t signify that, but it’s a little more ammo, a little more fuel to keep going.”
In addition to Chalamet being up for Best Actor at the Academy Awards, A Complete Unknown is also nominated for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress (Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez), Best Supporting Actor (Edward Norton as Pete Seeger), Best Director (James Mangold), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Sound, and Best Costume Design.