best film: Timothée Chalamet is in two of the best films of the 2020s thus far with The French Dispatch and Dune – both from 2021. But even before that, Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me by Your Name (2017) and Little Women (2019) surfaced among their respective year’s best films. The fact that Chalamet has nine (9) total films in the archives with 4 (four) of them here in serious contention here is undoubtedly evidence that he knows how to carefully select his projects and collaborators – even at a younger age. Nothing is promised, of course, but this looks like the start of a career that typically would be attached to one of the best of his or her generation.
best performance: There are two (2) correct answers here – no one could argue too much with either Chalamet’s more-than-convincing portrayal of Paul Atreides in Denis Villeneuve’s dream project Dune – or his work as Elio in Call Me by Your Name. That is quite the combination – perhaps they are both coming of ages stories to a degree (hard to fine a role that is not that at Chalamet’s stage in his career) – but one is a romance set in Northern Italy – and the other a science fiction epic.
the epilogue from Call Me by Your Name – the close-up devastating long take – a bold choice that absolutely works. The film has three (3) wonderful performances (Chalamet for sure – then Armie Hammer and Michael Stuhlbarg). Chalamet gets most of the top moments and it is likely he will never do anything better. He is a talent, but films and roles like this do not come along often. The winter sequence at the end blasts the viewer away – it is otherworldly given the warm, breezy summer scene where the rest of the film is set. The shot above – the fire and Chalamet staring into it as the credits roll to the Sufjan Stevens’ song
stylistic innovations/traits: Timothée Chalamet is a jaw-on-the-floor fifteen (15) years younger than the next youngest actor on this list (Ryan Gosling). Chalamet’s first (1st) archiveable film is from 2014 so obviously he does not have decades of resume to pull upon here to make his case – but many actors from Kevin Spacey to Gael Garcia Bernal have just a few years where they do their best work. Chalamet already has more archiveable films than Ken Ogata, certainly James Dean, John Cazale, Paul Muni and Heath Ledger. If Call Me by Your Name and Dune were not enough, Chalamet slays it in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women – sparring with another that-resume-is-already-spectacular-despite-being-young Saoirse Ronan. His Beautiful Boy role is like his Philip Seymour Hoffman Owning Mahowny (a gifted actor putting on a show in a very decent but not transcendent movie) to help give him depth – and time will be very kind to both The French Dispatch and Chalamet’s role in it.
Timothée Chalamet – the sheer size of the Dune project is awe-inspiring- but Chalamet is up to the challenge of leading the way. The scene of Chalamet’s Paul Atreides character getting tortured by Charlotte Ramplings’ Revenend Mother Mohiam is just about as fine a display of acting as it gets.
directors worked with: Luca Guadagnino (2), Greta Gerwig (2), Christopher Nolan (1), Denis Villeneuve (1), Wes Anderson (1)
the filmography here for such a young actor impresses – his fourth (4th) and fifth (best) best resume builders are a Wes Anderson ensemble comedy (The French Dispatch – playing Zeffirelli pictured here) and a drug addiction, soaked in realism drama (Beautiful Boy) – the future looks bright, but what has already transpired in Chalamet’s career is worthy of study and appreciation
top five performances:
- Call Me by Your Name
- Dune
- Little Women
- Beautiful Boy
- The French Dispatch
archiveable films
| 2014- Interstellar |
| 2017- Call Me by Your Name |
| 2017- Lady Bird |
| 2018- Beautiful Boy |
| 2019- Little Women |
| 2021- Dune |
| 2021- The French Dispatch |
| 2021- Don’t Look Up |
| 2022- Bones and All |
What do you think about his performance in Bones and All(2022)? Reuniting with Guadagnino after 5 years.
@Anderson- Very good add to pad the depth of his resume
@Malith- thanks for the help on Interstellar there
Does his Lady Bird co-star Lucas Hedges(a year younger) have more archivable films than Chalamet?
@Lionel- I have Ledges with 10 archiveable films actually
In terms of under 40 actors I think I would have Robert Pattinson over Chalamet for his work in The Lighthouse, Good Time, Tenet and The Batman but Call Me by Your Name towers Pattinson’s work so far.
@Harry- There’s not a lot separating the two – but yes certainly Chalamet has the best overall performance between the two actors
I would like to see Liotta over Chalamet but I guess it’s a bet for the future.
@KidCharlemagne- I wouldn’t factor in future projections on this list here. I’m not saying you’re wrong for preferring Liotta- just wanted to share what was factored in and what wasn’t
Who are the other promising young actors same age or younger than Chalamet? Paul Mescal? Lucas Hedges(gone missing since 2020, but still)? Anyone else?
@Anderson- Hmm, 27 or younger right now is tough. Saoirse Ronan is 29.
Florence Pugh.
Was excellent in Oppenheimer also in Dune part 2.
@MASH- good one, Anya Taylor-Joy is 27 I think
There are many promising females born 1995 or younger. Florence Pugh, Anya Taylor-Joy, Hailee Steinfeld, Elle Fanning, Cailee Spainey, Zendaya, maybe Rachel Sennott. Julia Garner and Saoirse Ronan are only a year older.
In the actors side, I could only find Chalamet, Mescal, Hedges and maybe Tom Holland(I haven’t seen him still in a meaty dramatic role though)
@Anderson – pretty big delta between Chalamet, Ronan and some of these names
Agreed. Chalamet and Ronan are a level above.
But Hedges has Manchester by the Sea, Mescal is everywhere literally but Aftersun for now. Elle Fanning has The Neon Demon and her work with S.Coppola, Cailee Spaeny lead in S.Coppola’s Priscilla, A.Taylor-Joy has Furiosa coming up and her work with Eggers, Pugh of course Midsommar, Steinfeld doesn’t act much but is a big star and out-acted all the established names in True Grit, Zendaya has a Guadagnino film and Dune: Part 2 coming up, Julia Garner has The Assistant, Sennott not sure but Shiva Baby, Bodies bodies bodies and now Bottoms seem like decent films.
@Anderson- for sure, no issues with this summation – doesn’t mean there isn’t a delta between Chalamet, Ronan and some of these names
@Drake- I say Pugh especially because none of these amazing actors have ever given a performance of the caliber of Pugh’s in Midsommer
@M*A*S*H- Yep- Pugh made the top 100 performances from a female actor list- but not the overall top 100 female actor list (which Ronan did – and Chalamet on the male side)
I guess Hailee Lu Richardson is promising. Her work in Columbus is really great. Again unbelievable for such a young age. Apart from Ronan, Chalamet and Pugh no one from this generation has given as performance of this caliber.
@MASH – yep, Hailee Lu Richardson is a year older – but still in her 20s- good one
Richardson is not under the radar as much as Ronan, Pugh or Chalamet. Her work in Columbus is a proof of her caliber not many actors have such a performance in their resume (Anya Taylor Joy for instance has never given a performance of this level but still she’s more under the radar due the popularity of some of her work- sadly Columbus is still one of the most underrated films of 21st century)
@M*A*S*H-Wow. I now feel guilty now. I have never heard about Haley Lu Richardson before you mentioned it.