Timothee Chalamet apparently took inspiration from Tiger King for the look of his character in the new comedy-drama Don’t Look Up. The film, directed by The Big Short’s Adam McKay, follows two astronomers, played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, who are tasked with going on a press tour to warn humanity of an impending apocalypse. The grim scientific reality is contrasted by McKay’s familiar biting screenplay, which evokes the real-world fight against climate change.
Don’t Look Up features a star-studded supporting cast including Meryl Streep and Jonah Hill. Chalamet, 26, appears as Illinois local Yule, who strikes up a friendship with Lawrence’s Kate Diabisky after she returns to her home state. The Oscar-nominated young actor has had a stellar year in Hollywood with starring roles in Denis Villeneuve’s space epic Dune and Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch.
Speaking about the look Chalamet sports in Don’t Look Up, costume designer Susan Matheson tells Vogue that the actor took particular inspiration from Netflix’s Tiger King for the bedraggled Yule. She recalls “The first thing he said to me was ‘I want a mullet.’” Matheson adds that Chalamet “sent me pictures of Joe Exotic” for reference. While the famous zoo-keeper was certainly an influence, the designer eventually settled on “a guy from New Zealand who had this amazing mullet” as the perfect reference point for Yule’s hair. Read the costume designer’s full interview quote below:
“The first thing he said to me was ‘I want a mullet,’ and of course, he sent me pictures of Joe Exotic, […] At the time everyone was obsessed with Joe, but instead I found this guy from New Zealand who had this amazing mullet and the moment I showed it to Timotheé, he said: ‘Bingo!'”
At the time of Don’t Look Up’s pre-production, Tiger King was taking the world by storm on Netflix, with quarantining and lockdown-ridden audiences becoming obsessed with the dramatic story of zookeeper Exotic and his rival Carol Baskin. Since then, the show has recently spawned a second season and has skyrocketed the once minor celebrities into global stardom, with Baskin even taking part in Dancing with the Stars. Don’t Look Up has released to mixed reviews, but many viewers have found the satirical drama a compelling metaphor for humanity’s climate-change attitudes. The film’s prestigious cast all give characteristically committed performances, with DiCaprio and Lawrence both apparently going method for their parts. Lawrence supposedly performed a scene while high, while DiCaprio almost froze to death by jumping into a frozen lake. Chalamet’s brave hairstyle looks rather underwhelming in comparison.
Matheson’s new quote confirms that even Hollywood stars like Chalamet were in on Tiger King-fever in early 2020 and that the madcap Netflix docu-series continues to inspire the industry. With a much-anticipated Joe Exotic biopic apparently still in the works, perhaps Chalamet could be the unlikely perfect match for the young version of the zany zookeeper. Don’t Look Up is streaming now on Netflix.
Source: Vogue